In My Shoes
by horse-crazy girl13
Summary: A car accident. A dead mom. And one too many fights with her dad. That's what did it: Annabeth Chase ran. Now it's just her and her gray converse, hiding in the shadows, making her way across the country. Little does she know that she's headed towards a certain famous someone named Percy Jackson. Take a step into her shoes as she finds friendship, drama, a family, and... true love?
1. Runaway

**Hey! So this is the new story I was talking about! I REALLY hope you guys like it! So please review and tell me if you do! :D**

**Happy Reading!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or any of the songs used in this story!**

* * *

Backpack: Check. Jacket and hoodie: Check. Small umbrella, food, journals, pencils, and pens: Check.

I slung the bag onto my shoulders and slipped my gray converse on. I glanced at the calendar. It's February 21, 2010. And my watch read 2:46 P.M. Perfect!

I knew that my dad wouldn't be home for a few more hours, so I had plenty of time to this. I would be safe-for a little bit. But then again, it's not like Dad was ever home anyway.

So have you guessed yet? You've got it! I, Annabeth Chase, a Californian at the age of sixteen, was running away. Smart right? But who could blame me?

A year ago, on February 21, 2009, my mom was killed in a car accident. I could still see the determined look on her face, and hear my screams and the claps of thunder. But I shook my head. I couldn't afford to think of that right then.

I looked in the mirror, and ran my fingers through my dark brown curls. Big, hazel eyes stared back at me. I took a deep breath. _Come on, Annabeth! _I chided myself. _You've been planning this for weeks!_

I checked to be sure that I had my wallet, already stuffed with cash. Then, I walked into the living and hesitantly walked out the front door. But before closing the door, I turned around and looked inside the cold, dark house. I had a sudden vision of what the house used to be before my mom died. And before everything had changed.

* * *

_"Mommy!" I cried running towards her. She walked into the room and I ran forward, giving her a huge hug._

_"Hey, sweetheart!" she said warmly._

_"Guess what?" I asked excitedly._

_"What?" Mom asked with a spark in her eye, as though she just knew I had accomplished something big for a nine-year old._

_"I figured out what the Pitagian Tearum is!" I announced proudly. Then I frowned. "Wait, no. It's called the Pythagan Therum. No..." I furrowed my brow._

_Then Dad walked in. _

_"Hey sweetheart!" he called._

_"Hi!" Mom and I both answered. Dad laughed and shook his head._

_"You girls are definitely two of a kind," he commented. I held my head up proudly. I wanted to be exactly like Mom when I grew up._

_"So, Annie, have you told Mommy what you did today?" Dad asked._

_"Dad!" I drawled his name out. "Don't call me Annie!"_

_He chuckled and ruffled my hair affectionately. Then I turned to my mom._

_"So, as I was _trying _to say, I figured out how to do the Pyth-" I stopped again, frustrated that I couldn't say it._

_"Pythagorean Theorem?" Dad put in. _

_"Dad! I was going to say it myself!" _

_He put his hands up._

_"Sorry!"_

_"Anywho, I learned how to do the- what Dad said! And apparently kids don't learn that until middle school!"_

_"Really? Oh, Annabeth, that's amazing! I am so proud of my little girl!" And then she swept me into another hug. I was so filled with pride._

_"We should celebrate!" Dad exclaimed, and without further ado, he grabbed a couch cushion and an epic pillow fight began. For the rest of the night, we ate pizza and watched movies. We laughed and smiled, the picture of a perfect family._

* * *

A single tear slid down my cheek, but I hastily wiped it away. I quickly slammed the door shut behind me. Then, I walked to my cheap, black truck. I was happy I was sixteen and had a car, which I paid for myself, might I add.

I knew it wouldn't really last long on my journey. It was so old, it could hardly get to school and back. But it was the best I could do.

The day before, I had taken all of my money out of my bank account. I knew I was ready to go. I slid the hood of my jacket over my head.

Then I started the truck, and slowly backed out of my driveway, leaving my childhood-and everything that came with it-behind. And I knew I wouldn't be seeing it again.

I stopped at the gas station and quickly filled the tank with gas.

After everything was done, and I had a cheeseburger from McDonald's, I started on the highway and cranked up the radio.

I was thrilled when one of my favorite songs by the famous Percy Jackson came on. It was called 'Breakeven'.

I started singing along with the song.

_I'm still alive but I'm barely breathing_  
_Just prayed to a God that I don't believe in_  
_'Cause I got time while she got freedom_  
_'Cause when a heart breaks, no, it don't break even_

_Her best days were some of my worst_  
_She finally met a man that's gonna put her first_  
_While I'm wide awake she's no trouble sleeping_  
_'Cause when a heart breaks no it don't break even... even... no_

_What am I supposed to do when the best part of me was always you?_  
_And what am I supposed to say when I'm all choked up and you're ok?_  
_I'm falling to pieces, yeah,_  
_I'm falling to pieces_

_They say bad things happen for a reason_  
_But no wise words gonna stop the bleeding_  
_'Cause she's moved on while I'm still grieving_  
_And when a heart breaks no it don't break even, even... no_

_What am I gonna do when the best part of me was always you?_  
_And what am I supposed to say when I'm all choked up and you're ok?_  
_I'm falling to pieces, yeah,_  
_I'm falling to pieces, yeah,_  
_I'm falling to pieces_  
_(One still in love while the other one's leaving)_  
_I'm falling to pieces_  
_('Cause when a heart breaks no it don't break even)_

_Oh, you got his heart and my heart and none of the pain_  
_You took your suitcase, I took the blame._  
_Now I'm tryna make sense of what little remains, ooh_  
_'Cause you left me with no love and honour to my name._

_I'm still alive but I'm barely breathing_  
_Just prayed to a God that I don't believe in_  
_'Cause I got time while she got freedom_  
_'Cause when a heart breaks, no, it don't break..._  
_No, it don't break_  
_No, it don't break even, no_

_What am I gonna do when the best part of me was always you?_  
_And what am I supposed to say when I'm all choked up and you're ok?_  
_(Oh glad you're okay now)_  
_I'm falling to pieces, yeah_  
_I'm falling to pieces, yeah_  
_(Oh I'm falling, falling)_  
_I'm falling to pieces,_  
_(One still in love while the other one's leaving)_  
_I'm falling to pieces_  
_('Cause when a heart breaks, no, it don't break even)_

_Oh, it don't break even no_  
_Oh, it don't break even no_  
_Oh, it don't break even no _

(Song: Breakeven  
By: The Script)

When the song ended, I turned the radio back down a notch.

I thought about Percy Jackson. He was, like, every teenage girl's dream. Everyone talked about him nonstop and there were always those creepy stalkers at school who knew almost everything about him. They even knew where he lived! Which was apparently New York. Personally, I didn't understand why anyone would care where he lived. Did it matter?

I loved Percy and his songs, but I was definitely _not _one of those creepy stalkers who claimed that they were going to marry him. If I had a dime for every time I had heard a girl say that, I'd be rich.

But anywho, I loved his songs and I'd be lying if I said I didn't think he was handsome. But I had always felt kind of bad for the guy. I mean, he practically had no private life. I was just fine with not being famous. But in his interviews, he seemed like a pretty neat guy and it _would_ be pretty cool to meet him.

But I knew that would never happen. I mean, I was a runaway! Even if I didn't get caught, I knew that I would never be accepted. And I could live that, I guess.

A part of me wondered if I had made the wrong decision to run. If I should just turn back. But I knew I couldn't. And even if I somehow managed to convince my dad that I had gotten lost or something, I wouldn't be able to survive. And I knew there would be more fights.

There were always fights. In fact, it was because of a huge fight that I had made my decision to run away.

Dad had been coming home late every night, always with the same excuse, saying that he had just worked late. But one night, his boss had called and asked if he could speak to Dad, and that's when I knew he had been lying.

So that night, I confronted him. And he just denied it. But I proved my case and demanded that he tell me the truth. Honestly, I think I would have just preferred the lie.

He confessed that he had been going to a bar every night. He assured me that he was not getting drunk. He had just been meeting up with someone, a _woman. _And he told me that they had been together for about two months.

And, of course, I flipped. He had started dating another woman just ten months after Mom's death?! And he hadn't even told me! I started yelling at him and stuff, saying that he had forgotten about Mom and that he had never cared about her. Which I knew wasn't true, but it still hurt. You can't really blame me for that.

He told me that I needed to stop being selfish and that I didn't even care about his feelings. The idiot. He didn't know anything.

I had been driving for about six and a half hours when I got my first phone call from Dad. I glanced at the clock. It read 7:56. Dad would have gotten home at about 7:00.

I didn't pick the phone up though. I just kept driving. After about the fifteenth call, I got pretty exasperated and completely turned my phone off. No doubt that by now, Dad might have called the police.

It was getting very dark, but I planned to just keep driving through the night until I got tired. I had to get as far away from "home" as possible.

Another Percy Jackson came on, and I sang along with it. Just for a second, I could picture myself on a road trip with Mom and Dad, all of us singing silly songs.

But it wasn't.

I didn't even know where I was going. I just stayed on the same major highway. It didn't really matter where I was going. It's not like I was planning on going back.

As I sang softly to myself, I thought about how everyone used to tell me that I had a beautiful voice. I knew that my voice was pretty good, but I wouldn't take it as far as _beautiful. _Although, I did enjoy how my higher voice contrasted nicely with Percy's lower voice. The sound brought me a small sense of peace.

It was soon about 2 A.M. and I could feel myself getting tired. And my poor old truck! I was surprised it hadn't broken down by now! I didn't want it to overheat so I knew I had better stop soon.

I was thinking I would just park the truck somewhere and sleep in it, but then I drove past an old abandoned house. No one was in it, hence the word 'abandoned'. And it looked stable enough. So I though, _Why not? It's not like you've got anything to lose._

So I turned around and parked the car behind the house, so that people passing by wouldn't see the truck.

Wearily, I stopped the truck and took all my belongings out. Then I hesitantly walked in.

It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, although there wasn't much to see. Obviously, it hadn't been abandoned for very long. The two-story house was empty and it had a dark carpet.

I tried the electricity but as I expected, it didn't work.

I wandered upstairs but I didn't really look around much. The stairs creaked under my feet. I just walked back down and set up camp right in the room closest to the back door.

I lied down on the thick, dusty carpet and tried to make myself go to sleep. I wished that Mom was here. I wished that I could go back to how everything used to be. And most of all, I wished I had someone who really loved me. Because I felt so alone.

I was finally about to drift off into a restless sleep, when suddenly a voice called out to me.

"Hey! Who are you and what do you think you're doing here?"

* * *

**I know it was kind of boring, but hopefully it will get better and more exciting. Was it good? Bad? Terrible? Tell me in a review! Could we try to make it to 5? That would be awesome! And please check out my other stories! Thanks guys! REVIEW! (Even if you're a guest!)**

**I  
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	2. Secrets

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* * *

**Percy**

RIIINNNG! RIIINNNG!

I groaned and shoved my head under the pillow to block out the unwelcomed noise.

RING! RING!

Oh how I wished the stupid phone would shut up! After it kept ringing, I sighed and picked up the phone, irritated.

"What?" I snapped.

"Well, I guess someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning!" my best friend and manager, Grover, teased.

"Yeah, and I'm about to be on the wrong side of the phone line beating you up if you don't tell me why you felt like you had to call me at six freaking o'clock in the morning!" I grumbled. Grover just chuckled.

"I'm guessing you forgot then," he commented.

"Forgot what?!" I demanded. I could practically hear him rolling his eyes.

"Rehearsals!"

"Um, rehearsals?" I asked, completely blank. Hey, it's six o'clock on a Saturday morning! What do you expect?

"Percy!" he yelled in my ear. I winced. Grover's yells were not something that you wanted to hear first thing in the morning. Actually, come to think of it, Grover's voice in general isn't exactly the first thing you wanted to hear in the morning.

"What?" I asked sleepily.

"You have a HUGE tour coming up! You are going to 42 freakin' states! And you have just happened to _forget _that?" Oh great. I braced mysef for another one of Grovers big pep talks. Yay.

"Percy, do you not realize how many people would _kill _to have the kind of fame you have? I mean, it's not like you can wake up in the morning and be like, 'Hmm... what should I do today? I think I'll just sit here and read a book because I have no life.'"

"So are you saying that people who read books don't have a life?" I interjected. "'Cause G-man, I hate to break it to you, but that would make you a low-life. What's that book you're always reading? Oh yeah! It's _To Kill A Mockingbird,_" I smirked.

I could sense him lifting his head up indignantly.

"It's a great novel! The storyline is just absolutely stellar! But that's not the point! The point is-"

"Wait, there's actually a point to all of this?" I laughed. Grover groaned.

"My god, Percy, you are hopeless!" he said, exasperated.

"But you know you love me for it!" I told him.

"Whatever floats your goat," Grover sighed.

"Um, G-man? Don't you mean _boat?_"

"Well boats already float, don't they?" he said, confused.

"You make no sense," I told him.

"Whatever, Perce! Just hurry up! We need you in the studio my six thirty! Don't be late!" he commanded.

"Yes, _Mother!_" I said sarcastically. But he had already hung up. I groaned and took the world's fastest shower, donning a pair of faded jeans and an orange T-shirt. I brushed my teeth and attempted to comb my hair and make it lie flat on my head, but with no success.

I grabbed a banana off a tray of fruit and drove to the studio. Yeah, what a grand breakfast for a famous person! I got into my black SUV and started driving to the studio. Which, naturally, took forever seeing as I live in New York. I may not live in NYC but the traffic on Long Island still sucks.

I finally got to the studio and flew through the doors. No one stopped me, because everyone was so used to me being late. Oh yeah, and I was famous. That kinda helps, I guess.

I grabbed a cup of coffee with extra cream and sugar. As I was walking to my recording area, I met up with my best friend and guitarist, Nico Di'Angelo.

"Yo, Perce, what took you so long?" he called.

"Sorry! There's a little something that most people need and it's called sleep!" I snapped. Nico laughed.

"Awww! Poor little Percy is upset because he didn't get his beauty sleep!" Nico cooed.

"Oh, shut up!" I took a sip of my fresh coffee. But that's the problem. It was fresh. So, of course, I burned my tongue!

"OW!" I yelped. Nico chuckled.

"Did anyone ever tell you that coffee was hot?" he teased.

"Amazing! I guess you learn something new everyday," I teased back. Nico reached over and took a sip of my coffee.

"Um, dude, I paid for that!" I protested.

"So what? We're friends! And my friendship is just so valuable that you have to pay me in coffee for it!"

"Dude, the way you say 'best friends' makes us sound like we're back in 2nd grade and you're giving me a friendship bracelet," I told him. He just laughed and took another sip. Then, as I was walking into the recording area, I tripped over a cord and fell. Nice.

Nico choked on _my _coffee and started laughing his head off.

"Nice Percy! Smooth!"

I glared at him from the floor. "Would you mind giving me a hand up?" I said through clenched teeth. He did.

"Come on, Twinkle Toes! Grover will have our heads for being so late!" he exclaimed. I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Don't _ever _call me _Twinkle Toes _again," I said with a passion. Nico just cracked up and dodged my arm when I reached out to hit him.

"PERCY JACKSON! NICO!" We both groaned. Grover came running up to us.

"What took you so long?!" he demanded.

"I can explain!" Nico said quickly. "Percy's pet pegasus, Blackjack, was late picking him up, and then on the way to pick me up, Blackjack flew into a tree, so then we had to take him to the vet, but he can only be healed by the touch of a rainbow. So then, we had to go capture a rainbow, but it kept trying to run away and-"

"Nico, I really truly don't care!" Grover snapped. Then Nico's explanation seemed to register in his brain. "Wait, what?"

Nico and I struggled to keep a straight face.

"It's okay, G-man. Blackjack went peacefully," he said, breaking out in fake sobs. Grover just looked downright confused.

"Um, okay then... Everyone is waiting! Come on!"

But instead of leading us to the recording area, he led us into a meeting room. Connie (she picks the most horrid clothes for me to wear) was there, as well as some geeks that help with recording and computer stuff. There were also some camera guys and another tour manager.

"Um...?" I said uncertainly.

"We'll practice later, but we haven't decided exactly how this show is going to be put together. We know what songs we should do, but in what order?" Grover explained.

Nico and I took a seat. Nico already looked bored.

"I think that we should do 'Too Close' first," I suggested. Everyone thought for a minute.

"That sounds reasonable. It's one of your newer songs so they'll like that. I think after that, you should make you introductions and speak to the crowd. Once you're finished talking, you should sing 'Breakeven'," Grover said thoughtfully. I wrinkled my nose.

"That's one of my older, not so great, songs," I pointed out.

"But people still love it. It was a hit song when it first came out, and people will like a little taste of your older music just as well as the new music," Grover countered.

"Ugh, okay fine! But I want do play my new song at the very end," I said. They all looked confused.

"What new song?" they asked.

"The one I wrote last night. Nico, guitar," I demanded. He passed me his acoustic one.

"Thanks. This one is called 'Secrets'," I said. And without further ado, I played my song.

_"I need another story_  
_Something to get off my chest_  
_My life gets kinda boring_  
_Need something that I can confess_

_'Til all my sleeves are stained red_  
_From all the truth that I've said_  
_Come by it honestly I swear_  
_Thought you saw me wink, no_  
_I've been on the brink, so_

_Tell me what you want to hear_  
_Something that will light those ears_  
_Sick of all the insincere_  
_So I'm gonna give all my secrets away_

_This time don't need another perfect lie_  
_Don't care if critics ever jump in line_  
_I'm gonna give all my secrets away_

_My God, amazing how we got this far_  
_It's like we're chasing all those stars_  
_Who's driving shiny big black cars_  
_And everyday I see the news_  
_All the problems that we could solve_

_And when a situation rises_  
_Just write it into an album_  
_Send it straight to gold_  
_But I don't really like my flow, no, so_

_Tell me what you want to hear_  
_Something that will light those ears_  
_Sick of all the insincere_  
_So I'm gonna give all my secrets away_

_This time, don't need another perfect lie_  
_Don't care if critics ever jump in line_  
_I'm gonna give all my secrets away_

_Oh, got no reason, got no shame_  
_Got no family I can blame_  
_Just don't let me disappear_  
_I'ma tell you everything_

_So tell me what you want to hear_  
_Something that will light those ears_  
_Sick of all the insincere_  
_So I'm gonna give all my secrets away_

_This time, don't need another perfect lie_  
_Don't care if critics ever jump in line_  
_I'm gonna give all my secrets away_

_So tell me what you want to hear_  
_Something that will light those ears_  
_Sick of all the insincere_  
_So I'm gonna give all my secrets away_

_This time, don't need another perfect lie_  
_Don't care if critics ever jump in line_  
_I'm gonna give all my secrets away_  
_All my secrets away, all my secrets away"_

(Song: Secrets  
By: One Republic)

As I sang, I poured my heart and soul into the song. I allowed myself to get lost in the music. This was my life- music. It always would be. And it's not just the fame- it's the being able to speak your heart through the lyrics of a song that everybody can enjoy.

The fame _is _pretty nice, but not always. I want to be able to walk into Wal-Mart without a bunch of girls wanting autographs or someone yelling, "Oh my god, it's Percy Jackson!" I want to go play basketball with the guys without paparazzi trying to break in.

I'm not complaining about being famous, there's just things I wish I could change. But I allowed myself to forget everything while I sang. When I'm singing, I hit this point of peace and contentment that reminds me why I started all this in the first place.

I finished my song to an eery silence. Everyone's eyes were wide. Then Nico slapped me on the back and let out a huge whoop. And everyone clapped and cheered. I was relieved. They liked it!

"So you really do like it?" I asked them.

"Are you kidding me, Perce? That was your best song yet!" Grover yelled enthusiastically, banging his fist on the table to empathize the point.

I beamed. After everyone calmed down, we started organizing the whole show layout again. I must admit, I get really bored during these meetings. And being ADHD ceratinly doesn't help.

Thankfully, Nico found a scratch piece of paper and some pens. We played an epic game of hangman! I kept winning because Nico kept thinking up of words like "death" and "scythe" and "Hades". So once I got the theme, it was pretty easy to guess.

"...sound good, Perce?" I jumped.

"W-what?" I asked.

"Do you like the plan?" Grover asked.

"Uh, yeah, sure!" I said, trying to sound like I knew what they were talking about. Grover sighed.

"You two are hopeless. I suppose one of us has to be the adult. I'll go through it with you again real quick."

I tried to pay attention. I really did. But I'm telling you, when Nico brings out his iPod touch and starts playing _Subway Surfers, _you can't exactly blame me for getting distracted. Yep, that's me! The extremely famous and totally responsible dude who does whatever he can to help out with a huge tour.

Halfway through his explanation, Grover threw his hands up and completely gave up. Nico reached for a remote and turned on the TV that was hanging on a wall in the room. He flipped through the channels and landed on _The Mickey Mouse Club House._

"Oooh! Yay! I love this show!" Nico exclaimed. We all stared at him.

"What?" he said.

"Oh my god, you did not just say that, man," I said to him.

"Well, I'm sorry if some people," he looked at us pointedly,"don't have a very good taste in TV shows."

I rolled my eyes and swiftly plucked the remote from his fingers.

"Hey!" he whined.

"Oh boo hoo! Cry me a river, build a bridge, and get over it!" I told him. He looked at me blankly.

"Idiot!" I muttered. I flipped through the channels and decided to just go on the news. Sometimes it can be pretty interesting to hear the stupid rumors that people make up about me. A girl's picture was on the screen.

"_...been missing for about 24 hours. If you have any information whatsoever on this girl's whereabouts call the number below immediately! Once again, this is Annabeth Chase, 16 years old. Her height is 5'6 and she has curly blond hair and stormy grey eyes. Last seen by her father at their house in San Fracisco, California. Police are unsure if she has been abducted or run away. If you have any information, CALL THIS NUMBER!"_

I have to admit, I'd be lying if I said I didn't think that girl looked pretty with her California tan and princess curls.

"I wonder what happened to her," I mused out loud. Nico nudged me.

"Aw! Look everyone, Percy's found a girlfriend!" he annonced. I slapped him upside the head.

"Nico, I do not have a crush on a _picture! _Besides, she's _missing!_" I said.

"Whatever ya say, Perce! Come on, peoples! We need to rehearse now!" he yelled. "Let's get this party started!"

* * *

**So I was originally going to have it in just Annabeth's POV, but I decided to do Percy's too. I hope you liked this chapter! I really like the song 'Secrets' so that's why I used it. :) Sorry I didn't update yesterday! Been pretty busy! Happy Belated Valentines Day! Please review and tell me if you liked this chapter! And once again, thank you guys so much for all the support I got! I was completely blown away! Thanks and REVIEW! (Even if you're a guest! :)**


	3. I Am Titanium

**I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to update! I feel so bad! I hope this chapter makes up for it! And OMG, I GOT 45 FREAKING REVIEWS FOR THE FIRST TWO CHAPTERS?! I feel like I should personally deliver a box of homemade cookies to each and every one of you! Thank you so much! REVIEW!**

**This chapter is dedicated to 'Chubychicken'! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! :D Also, I try to update every two days, but I've been so busy! **

**HAPPY READING!**

* * *

**Annabeth**

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" the voice said. I jumped.

When I turned around, I saw that I was facing kids that looked about my age. Each held a knife which terrified me, and both of their eyes were fierce. Getting a closer look at them, I saw in the dim light that their clothes were worn and tattered, dirt smeared on them. Both were thin, as though they hadn't eaten in days.

Maybe it was instinct, or maybe it was just an educated guess, but I knew: they were runaways just like me.

I put my hands up, in a gesture of surrender.

"Who are you?" a boy snarled. I was cautious.

"I could ask you the same question," I said, calmly. He narrowed his eyes at me.

"You first."

I was hesitant. I didn't know these two people, and there was always the chance that they were bad. But something in their eyes told me that that wasn't true. They weren't bad people. Just bad things have happened to them.

"I am Annabeth Chase," I said slowly.

"And what are you doing here, _Annabeth?" _he spat. "Shouldn't you be at home, living a perfect life with a Mommy and Daddy?"

Anger rose within me, but I did my best to shove it down.

"I don't have a home," I said firmly. But as I said it, reality seemed to smack me in the face, as I realized that I really truly didn't have a home anymore.

But it was my choice and I'd just have to live with it.

The guy's face seemed to soften, and the girl behind him lowered her knife.

"You don't have a home, either?" she asked.

I shook my head.

"Neither do we," she said.

"What's your name?" I asked her. She had black punk style hair and she seemed to be my age.

"I'm Thalia. Just Thalia," she emphasized. I held out my had to her. She flinched.

"Nice to meet you, Thalia," I said kindly.

I noticed that the sandy-haired boy was studying me intently. His gaze made me a bit uncomfortable, but I looked back at him with my unwavering gaze.

Then he seemed to make a mental decision.

"I'm Luke," he said, sticking his hand out. I shook it firmly.

"It's nice to meet you, Luke. Are you two hungry?" I asked them, eyeing their skinny bodies.

"No," they both said, but I knew they were lying.

"Well, too bad, because your going to eat anyway," I commanded, a slight smile playing on my lips. I quickly ran to my truck and grabbed some food.

When thy saw my arms full of food, their eyes widened to twice their normal size.

"Eat," I commanded again.

Thalia hesitantly picked up a sandwich and took a bit. Luke slowly bit into a cookie. And then, as though there was nothing else in he world that mattered, they were stuffing food into their mouths like there was no tomorrow.

I smiled.

"Is it good?" I asked them. They both nodded, mouths too stuffed with food to speak.

I smiled again, and I felt good, knowing that I had helped them.

After they were finished and all the food that I had brought in had been consumed, we sat together on the thick carpet.

"So how long have you guys been on the run?" I asked them quietly. They both shrug.

"No idea. You sorta lose track of time when you're on the run. But I'd estimate a little over a year and a half," Luke said matter of factly.

I felt my jaw drop.

"That long?! That's crazy!"

Thalia shrugged again. "You learn to get used to it."

"Wait, so, how long do you stay in one place? Have you always been here? What about your family? Has anyone ever tried to find you?" The questions cam tumbling out of my mouth before I had a chance to stop them.

They were silent for a second.

"No, we haven't always been here. We never stay in one place for more than a few days. We made the mistake of staying in one place for too long one time, and had to run from the police. And our families couldn't care less about us, Annabeth. That's why we ran. And sure, people have put out alerts on the radio, but they don't help."

I could see that even though they looked fierce on the outside, they were hurting on the inside.

"Wow, that must be horrible... I'm sorry guys," I said softly. Thalia just shrugged.

"Yeah, well, like we said, you get used to it."

I wondered if that's how I'd be in a year and a half. If I would have a flat, monotonous voice. If I would be used to running and hiding. If I would be scared and mistrustful of people. And if I'd be starving. I shuddered involuntarily. Scary thoughts.

We sat in silence for a little bit.

"You know, we've been here for almost four days. It would be wise to leave soon," Luke mused.

"When?" I asked.

"Maybe tomorrow. Thalia and I would need to leave early in the morning and stay hidden in the woods so that people don't see us. Not that it would really matter since we're far from where we started. But you can never be too careful."

I thought for a little bit. These two people. They were just like me. Except they've been running for a while. But they were runaways. They have no one. And I'm the only one with money and food. Maybe I didn't know these people, but they were desperate, with no but each other. Maybe it's time they lean on someone else.

"You guys could come with me," I blurt out before I could think about it any further. They looked pretty alarmed.

"No! We couldn't do that to you! You've already helped us enough," Thalia said. Luke agreed.

"No, seriously! I want you guys with me! I have no idea where I am or where I'm headed and I'm gonna need some experienced runners with me. And besides, you need me for food and I get the feeling you could use an extra friend. None of us have families anymore. So maybe it's time we make our own," I protested, finished off my big speech with a determined glint in my eyes.

Silence greeted my speech.

"Why would you do that for us? I mean, you barely even know us!" Thalia asked quietly.

Good question. I looked her in the eye.

"Because I'm not going to leave you guys alone. Together, we can build a life for ourselves. And I feel like it's the right thing to do. I feel like I _have _to do this."

They both stared at me, and I could see the longing in their eyes. The longing to have another companion.

Luke stared back at me intently. I wondered if he trusted me. I wondered if I were in his shoes if I'd trust someone like me. I stared back, trying to show him that I didn't want to hurt anyone. That I really meant what I said.

I noticed a scar on his face, and the shadows that were being cast on his face made him look mysterious. He looked sad and angry. I wondered when the last time he had smiled was.

"Thank you for the offer. Do you mind if we think about it for a little bit?" Luke asked. "I don't mean to be offensive. It's just so... different."

I smiled. "No, think all you want! I'm in no rush."

They both shyly thanked me and left the room.

I sighed and lied down on the carpet. I could feel my tiredness start to seep through my bones, and my eyelids started to droop. I thought, once again, about the fight my dad and I had gotten in. Just thinking about it made me seethe with anger and hurt.

_"Stop being so selfish, Annabeth!" _he had said.

_"Why are you being such a brat?" _he spat at me, not caring about or noticing the tears welling up in my eyes.

_"You don't care about me at all! It's just you. Your mom is dead! Stop being selfish and let me get on with my life!"_

Anger welled inside of me, like a wave ready to crash. Waves can't be controlled; neither can I. I quickly grabbed a notebook and pen from my bag, and did what I've always done when I'm upset. I released my feelings into words. Into _songs_, to be exact.

So without even realizing what I was doing, I let the pen write across the page, humming a tune to the lyrics without even having to think about it.

_You shout it out,_  
_But I can't hear a word you say_  
_I'm talking loud not saying much_  
_I'm criticized but all your bullets ricochet_  
_You shoot me down, but I get up_

_I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose_  
_Fire away, fire away_  
_Ricochet, you take your aim_  
_Fire away, fire away_  
_You shoot me down but I won't fall_  
_I am titanium_  
_You shoot me down but I won't fall_  
_I am titanium_

_Cut me down_  
_But it's you who'll have further to fall_  
_Ghost town, haunted love_  
_Raise your voice, sticks and stones may break my bones_  
_I'm talking loud not saying much_

_I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose_  
_Fire away, fire away_  
_Ricochet, you take your aim_  
_Fire away, fire away_  
_You shoot me down but I won't fall_  
_I am titanium_  
_You shoot me down but I won't fall_  
_I am titanium_  
_I am titanium_  
_I am titanium_

_Stone-hard, machine gun_  
_Fired at the ones who run_  
_Stone-hard as bulletproof glass_

_You shoot me down but I won't fall_  
_I am titanium_  
_You shoot me down but I won't fall_  
_I am titanium_  
_You shoot me down but I won't fall_  
_I am titanium_  
_You shoot me down but I won't fall_  
_I am titanium_  
_I am titanium_

(Song: Titanium  
By: David Guetta)

It wasn't long before my song wa complete. It was perfect. My dad had hurt me but I wasn't going to let him bring me down. I was determined to make a new life for myself. One with a real family and friends. And people who would catch me when I fall.

I could do this.

I am strong.

I am titanium.

* * *

**Sorry for the bad chapter! I've been so busy with youth group, horseback riding, friends, family, and school! Hopefully, my next chapter will be a lot better and I will be able to get things moving! I really am sorry! This has to be my least favorite chapter so far, but I hope you guys are okay with it!**

**I finished reading Divergent by Veronica Roth in one day! It was THAT good! I heard about it through fanfiction, so now I'm spreading the joy! It's AMAZING! READ IT!**

**Again, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! (to Chubychicken)**

**Please review, favorite, and/or follow! Thank you guys for all of the support you've already given me! It means so much! REVIEW! (Even if you're a guest! :)**


	4. Of Nightmares And Wrong Choices

**Sorry it's taken me so long to update! And thank you so much for all of the lovely reviews! And to 'Guest': Lol, I am very aware of what Percy said in TLO. Not to sound rude, but while these are his characters, I am not Rick Riordan, nor is this his story or plot. Also, this is AU, so I won't be going totally by the books. Thanks for pointing that out, though. As always, read, review, and do your thing!**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**Annabeth**

_Darkness. Darkness everywhere. It swallows me whole, engulfs me until there's nothing left._

_Trapped! I'm trapped inside my whole head. The suffocating silence presses in on me._

_Drowning! I'm drowning in my own thoughts. I used to tread them, but now I drown in them. Why won't they go away? I need them to go away! I can't take this._

_I had the same dream last night. There was the same road. It forked off in front of me. One way held happiness and peace. The other held agony and destruction. But which one?_

_Voices. They were all around me-taunting me, killing me. _

_Next to me stood my mother._

_"Which way do I go?" I asked frantically._

_But she just shook her head. "Only you can know. Listen to your heart."_

_I looked between the two roads. They looked the same. Both were weathered and had clouds swirling ominously above them. The voices continued._

_"Pick the right one, sweetheart," and evil voice hissed in my ear._

_"Get away from me!" I demanded shakily._

_The voice, which had no visible form, cackled. I could sense others gathering around me._

_"Choose left!" one whispered._

_"Right!" another countered._

_"Right!" another agreed._

_"Left!" others hissed._

_And so it went on. I reached toward my mom, but for some reason, I couldn't touch her. I took a step forward. She didn't move, yet I still couldn't touch her. It was a sick illusion._

_I called but she couldn't seem to hear me. She just kept a warm, encouraging smile on her face._

_"Your time is up. Tell us your choice now!" one sneered at me._

_"Left!"_

_"Right!" someone insisted._

_I closed me eyes. When I opened them, darkness was folding itself around me. Mom still stood next to me, but she was shadowed, as though standing in a dark room with a spotlight on her. I could still see the paths ahead of me. Lighting forked down, illuminating the paths in a way that sent electricity running through my veins. Fury radiated within me, and I closed my eyes again, ready to make my choice._

_I glanced at Mom again._

_She nodded reassuringly. "I trust you."_

_I nodded._

_"Left," I said firmly, not trusting the evil voice that had first told me 'right'._

_Suddenly the barrier that had been between me and my mom was gone, and she embraced me. The right path disappeared._

_"I love you, sweetheart," my mom had said._

_"I love you, too," I told her._

_But then there were lights. They came came towards me and mom fast. I tried to move, but the darkness, as though it were a physical object, held my in its arm, kept me in place._

_I soon realized what the lights were: headlights._

_And they didn't stop. The light from the headlights, burned into my eyes against the darkness._

_"Mom!" I screamed._

_But she was planted next to me. She just smiled._

_"It was a choice, sweetheart. Everyone makes wrong choices. And you always have to suffer the consequences."_

_"No!" I screamed._

_But then the light-which is something I had always associated with warmth and comfort-swallowed my mom whole, just barely missing me._

_And that was when I woke up._

_But then darkness still seems to be with me._

_And now I wonder... what did that dream mean? Did it mean that I had made the wrong choice? The choice to run away? Or am I simply over thinking this?_

_But maybe, those voices... maybe that was just me against myself. Maybe it's not that I can't trust the people around me-my dad, my friends, life-maybe it's that I can't trust myself._

I closed my journal, taking deep breaths. I felt better now that I had written all that down, but something in me was still broken. This house was silent and Luke and Thalia were asleep.

Quietly, so as not to wake them, I slid my grey converse on, slipping out the door silently.

I did the one thing I knew how to do best.

I ran.

* * *

**Percy**

"Percy!" an annoying voice sing-songed. I sighed. It was _her _again. Without knocking, she just burst into my dressing room. I turned around.

"Yes?"

"It's almost time! Hurry up!" Rachel ushered.

"Yes, I am very aware of the time, thank you very much," I said through clenched teeth. I don't know what exactly it was about her that annoyed me, but it did.

She was very... pushy. She seemed to think that we're together or something. She even tried to make a move on me, but I didn't let her. And I knew her from school.

Rachel had always been this popular girl who sort of controlled everyone else. Her friends weren't real, nor was her smile or anything about her for that matter. Her parents were rich, and that was where her story began and ended.

Yeah, she was a terrific singer-there was no denying that. But it seemed to have gotten to her head.

"Okay, good! I can't believe that we're actually going to be singing together in Times Square! I mean, how many people-teenagers- get to do that?!" she squealed.

I agreed with her there, and smiled.

Not many kids got to go on a tour to most states in the U.S.

I finished up, and soon I was waiting to be called onto the stage.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One!

And then there were deafening cheers all around me. I could see the lights of the city, cell phones, cameras. A rush of adrenaline took over me as I greeted the crowd.

It was what I lived for.

Rachel and I sang our songs, our voices harmonizing. It was nice, but there was something about her voice that didn't quite click with mine. No one else seemed to notice. But with all of the people I had sang with, there had never been someone who seemed to quite click with me.

But, still, we sounded good, and that, apparently, was enough.

After I was finished, I walked towards the limo that I had never really wanted, reaching out to touch the hands that were trying to grasp me. I smiled broadly. I had never felt so high. There were no words that could explain the feeling.

Then, I saw a little girl. She had blond curls and dirt on her face.

She was hidden behind a picnic table that was near an abandoned building. She gave me an adoring smile, I could see in her face that she was hungry. She was homeless.

I turned around to face Nico and ask him to grab a snack or something out of the limo, and turned around to hand the sandwich that he gave me to the girl.

But she was gone.

Suddenly, I thought of the girl who had been on the news. Annabeth Chase, her name was.

I wondered if she was like that little girl. If she was hungry. If she was scared.

And then I didn't feel so high. Because that girl didn't get the chance I had gotten. She was forced to live the hard way. And I was practically rubbing it in her face.

Maybe I could learn a thing or two from those people.

* * *

**I'm sorry! that was the shortest and suckiest chapter I have ever written, but I have strept throat and I am sooo bored right now! And if that Annabeth's part was confusing and weird, then my job here is done! ;) Please forgive me! Love ya! Review please! (Even if you're a guest! :)**


	5. A New Day

**OMG! Guys, I am so beyond sorry! You know how my little laptop broke? Yeah, well, my mom's computer got a virus so then I couldn't use hers. Then, my laptop got fixed so I updated Cinderella, but shortly after, my laptop got a virus. But some computer genius from church fixed my laptop again, so I figured I owed you guys a chapter of this story. It hasn't been that long since I updated Cinderella, so they can wait a longer for that one. Also, I've had exams and I have something called Large Group Performance Evaluations (LGPE) coming up for band so I've had to stay after school to practice. Again, I am so sorry! Anywho, you guys are amazing and I love you so much! 76 follows, 42 favs, and 93 reviews is ridiculous and I love you guys for it! So, enough of my excuses, here's my next chapter!**

**HAPPY READING!**

* * *

**Annabeth**

As ran, ice-cold air tore through my lungs, but I didn't notice. In fact, it almost felt good against the hot anger that seemed to never leave me.

I didn't know how far I ran, or for how long. But it didn't matter. Oh, I would return eventually; it wouldn't be that hard, as I had only run in a straight line. But right now, only one thing was on my mind. And that was moving forward.

I don't know what it was about running, but it always seemed to soothe me. And I don't just mean physically. I mean emotionally, too. Sometimes, it's nice to leave your problems behind, even when you know they'll just haunt you in the end. But I like the exhilarated feeling that comes with running, like you can outrun anything. Like there's actually something you can control.

I started to slow, breaths of air puffing out in front of me, coming out in a beautiful white mist, and then fading with the air around it. I found a big rock and lowered myself onto it, putting my head into my hands.

What was wrong with me? Why were my thoughts so dark? Was I already going crazy? I had only been gone for not even a whole day. How would I be able to survive this for the rest of my life?

I vaguely wondered if Dad was awake, if he was worrying about me. Or was he sound asleep, without a care in the world. Neither one would surprise me very much.

The nightmare, and the crushing weight that it left behind, slowly started to leave me. It felt nice, like you've just been holding up the sky, and someone else took it up for you.

As I sat there, it finally dawned on me that I had not once made a single plan since I left. Where exactly was I going to go? Especially with Thalia and Luke with me.

I knew that I had just been on interstate 80. It was a major highway, and I knew that it would go as far as Pennsylvania. So that's where I started. I decided to drive along interstate 80, as far as it would take me. Once I got to Pennsylvania, maybe I could drive up into New York and find a job, assuming the police haven't found me.

We could work at a flee market or restaurant, somewhere that we could lie low but still make money. Once I had enough money and turned eighteen, I could get a real job, and maybe even go back in school. I could forget about my family and just look forward, just as I was doing now.

My plan was far-fetched. _Very _far-fetched. But it could work. It _had _to work.

I could just make out the first rays of the sun peeking through the trees. A new day. My mom used to say that the sun rising each day not only signified the start of a new day, but also a new beginning altogether. Because with each day, came a chance to start anew, forget about your mistakes, and move on.

I sighed, knowing that it was time to stop doubting myself. I had made this decision, and I would stick through with it. I couldn't turn back now. I would embrace the start of a new day, and create a new beginning for myself.

I slowly got up, and ran back to the house.

I walked in just as Thalia and Luke opened their eyes.

"Hey, where were you?" Thalia asked groggily, rubbing the tiredness out of her eyes.

"I was out at the truck, getting everything ready," I lied easily. Just because they were coming with me, that didn't mean they had to know my every move.

"Okay, that's cool. When are we leaving? And where are we going?" Thalia asked curiously. Luke sat up, and looked at me curiously, too. I bet they were pretty excited. I wondered how long it had been since they had ridden in a car somewhere.

I laughed. "Whoa, slow down! Lets get you guys some breakfast first, and I'll tell you the plan!"

I pulled two muffins out, and gave one to each of them. Luke and Thalia looked at the food in awe, just as they had done last night when I had given them food. Poor guys.

It made me upset to know that even though they were my age, they had been in this situation for much longer. I mean, how terrible is it for someone to not be used to seeing food in front of them, to hold it in their hands and stuff it in their mouths? I thought about how many nights, how many holidays, I had stuffed myself with food until it hurt, but never realized how much I took it all for granted.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Luke asked me.

I just shrugged. "I'm not really hungry. We might as well keep as much food for as long as we can."

Thalia nodded. "That makes sense."

I smiled at her and proceeded to tell them about what my plan was. They held on to every word, as though it were a life line. But maybe in their eyes, it was.

After I told them, each drifted off into their own silence, contemplating. After awhile, Luke finally spoke.

"It's far-fetched. But if we play this out right, it could work. Just one problem. No offense, but your truck looks like another thousand miles could kill it. How will it make it that far?"

Shiz. I hadn't thought about that.

"Hmm, you've got a good point. I honestly don't know. I guess we'll just have to wing it. We shouldn't keep it on the road for too long at one time, and we can always let it rest for a day or two to keep it from overheating, but it depends on whether we are near a place we could stay."

There was another silence in which Thalia and Luke looked at each other. It seemed like they were silently making a decision together.

Finally, they both looked at me, and excited glint in their eyes.

"We're ready when you are!"

I grinned. "I'm ready now. Get all of your belongings together, and we can leave immediately. We should try to get as far as possible. I'm not a huge fan of driving into the night."

We gathered everything, and stuffed it into the truck. Luckily, my cab had four seats instead of two, so there was enough room for each of us.

We settled in, buckling our seatbelts, and started our journey across the country. I'd be lying if I didn't say I wasn't nervous. We could be caught at any moment, but I was willing to take the risk.

We sat in a comfortable silence, and my truck, filled with gas, ran along smoothly. I turned up the radio. And guess what was on? News about the great Percy Jackson. Big surprise.

_"...had his big concert last night! First one of his tour. Over 8,000 people paid to watch the opening concert, with many watching from the windows of buildings. His next stop is Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Now, here are some words from Percy Jackson himself!"_

_"Hey guys! What's up? I just want to thank you so much for the support I've gotten for this. I feel so blessed, and I had so much fun. And there's something I would like to tell everyone. I know that there are so many people out there who haven't gotten the chance I have. People who are living in poverty, in an orphanage, or people who are living on the streets because they have run away. But you aren't forgotten, and you are loved by someone out there even when you don't know it. You are loved by me and my crew. Which is why I am donating $10,000 to help those people out there. You guys are amazing! I'll see ya in Pennsylvania!"_

_"Peace out!" _a different voice yelled into the microphone. There was some crackling.

_"Nico, stop it! Give me the mic!" _Percy's voice demanded.

_"Hold on! Peoples, did you guys know that Percy, here, sleeps with a teddy bear named Leroy?" _Nico's voice yelled.

_"What?! I do not!" _Percy protested.

_"Don't believe him! Peace out and remember: Darth Vader is watching you!"_

_"Nico, don't be a creeper!" _There was some more crackling, and then the line went silent.

_"Um, that's all for Percy Jackson! Thanks for listening!" _

The reporter's voice spoke no more and the next song came on.

I started to contemplate over Percy Jackson's words. It almost felt like he had said that little speech for me, no matter how silly that sounded. I knew it was impossible, but the timing was perfect. But even after his words, I didn't feel like he really did care. I bet it was all a publicity stunt. As much as I loved Percy Jackson, I just didn't believe that his words were sincere. But was he really going to donate that much money? That's pretty incredible.

Out of my peripheral, I could tell Thalia and Luke were thinking the same.

As a song played Thalia leaned back into her seat and sighed.

"Mm... I haven't heard music in such a long time. This is nice," she said closing her eyes. I smiled at her.

But that smile was short-lived.

Because just behind me, bright blue and red lights started to blink, and a siren blared.

They were telling me to stop.

My journey had ended before it even really started.

* * *

**Was that any good? I hope so. It was somewhat boring, but I needed a filler! I wrote a one-shot called Lullaby. It's dedicated to a friend who lost her grandmother to cancer a few days ago. Cathy, I am so sorry! Also, I have a joint account with Chubbypandaz called Together-Indestructible and we have a story called Invisible. Would you mind checking it out? Thanks guys! I promise, I'll try to update quicker, but the more reviews I get, the faster I'll update! Love ya! REVIEW! (Even if you're a guest! ;)**


	6. Dinner With the Family

**I simply cannot apologize enough for the long wait. The only excuses I have are I've had state testing, but mostly I've just had horrible writer's block. Again, I cannot apologize enough. Will you guys please forgive me? And also, I am ecstatic that you guys brought me to over 100 reviews in 5 chapters! That is AMAZING! So, without further ado, here's your next chapter!**

**HAPPY READING!**

* * *

**Percy**

I was headed home to see my mom, Sally Jackson, for the last time in the next couple of months. I mean, of course I would see her through Skype, and we would make phone calls, email, text, etc. but it would hardly suffice. There's always something better about seeing your family and friends in person, rather than through technology.

What was kind of funny, though, was that paparazzi was looking everywhere, trying to find me (they still hadn't figured out where my parents lived, thank goodness), but they kept expecting me to be driving in a limo or some sort of car that you would have to pay an obscene amount of money for.

But the reality of it was that I was in a regular Ford F-150. It was a very manly shade of hot pink. Nah, I'm joking; it was a dark blue and quite inconspicuous, which was just fine with me. But I only used it when I absolutely had to get away from paparazzi. Like if I wanted to go to a store, or go home and whatnot.

Nico just shook his head in a somewhat pitying way every time he saw me in it. He wasted no time in buying his Audi and Denali (why does one person need two cars?) once he got enough money.

I checked behind me every so often, just to be sure I wasn't being followed, and when I was sure that I wasn't, I got off the highway.

I have to admit, I was pretty excited to see my mother again. Call me a mama's boy, but I almost never got to see her. And I was also very protective of her, because her ex-husband, Gabe Ugliano, used to abuse her.

Now she was dating a guy named Paul Blofis, who was also going to be at the house. I'll admit that he seemed like a good enough guy; it would just take a lot for me to be able to trust him. He taught at Goode High School, where I used to go to school before the reporters and stalkers got out of hand. It was a little weird having my mom date my English teacher, but I got used to it eventually. Sort of.

Finally, I turned into the neighborhood, my heart picking up speed in a childish excitement. And can you really blame me? It was nice to see everything from a normal person's point of view. Everyday, people drive through here, not having to worry about avoiding the reporters. People were outside of their houses, working on their lawns. This was ordinary life.

I'm not saying that I wasn't a normal person, if there is such a thing. I mean, I'm human just like everyone else, and I viewed myself as an equal to those around me. When I responded to emails from fans and got an email back saying they couldn't believe that I emailed them back, I was just like, whaaat?

A lot of people have talents and are more talented than me at many different things; I just happened to get lucky and become well-known for it. I could acknowledge that I had fame, but that didn't mean I was vain because of it.

I pulled into the driveway of the cute two-story house. The lawn was mowed nicely, and the bushes were neatly trimmed. A swinging bench was on the long porch, and a garden of flowers bordered the walkway leading up to the porch. And on the porch stood my mom and Paul. I was home.

I quickly cut the engine, and climbed out the truck, not even bothering with the bags yet. All I cared about was my mom standing there, a huge bright smile lighting up her face. I ran up to her.

"Mom!" I exclaimed like a little boy. I didn't care.

"Oh, Percy!" she said, as she wrapped me in her arms. She hugged me tightly. A little too tightly. I made a mock choking noise.

"Uh - ah - gah - Mom! You're ch-choking me!" She laughed.

"Oops, sorry Perce!" She pulled away and held me at arms length, examining me with a practical gaze

"Hmm... Well, I'm happy to say that fame hasn't made you fat." Then, as an after-thought, she added, "Yet."

I groaned. "Gee, thanks, Mom. Nice to see you, too!" She just laughed. It was a beautiful sound, one that I didn't get to hear much as I was growing up.

I turned to Paul, who was also grinning broadly. "Hey, man!" he said.

"Hey, Paul, how's it goin'?" I asked.

"Great! I had to go _shopping _with your mom yesterday, though." He said the word with a great distaste. "Women these days."

I rolled my eyes. "You're telling me," I said, thinking of Rachel. She wasn't a particularly bad person. She was just a little vain and shallow, not to mention annoying, at times. "I feel ya."

We both laughed and gave each other what my mom called a man hug, where we slapped each other awkwardly on the back while shaking hands. Mom just rolled her eyes.

"Men these days," she muttered. "Such animals."

I laughed yet again as she ushered us all inside. It was times like these when I felt I could completely give up fame and still be content. It was times like these when I felt like everyone else.

"Alright, _boys_, I'll just be setting the table, and then dinner will be served," my mom told us, emphasizing the word 'boys'.

I nodded, and headed upstairs to where my room was. When I opened the door, I expected to find it sparkling clean, with my bed made and laundry done and whatnot, but I was pleased to see that it was a mess, just as I had left it weeks ago. For the past couple of weeks, I've had to stay in a hotel near the studio because of time. I was happy that Sally, who was usually the neat freak, had left the room how it was. I always argued that a house's messiness is what really makes it _home._

When my mom called us down ten minutes later, the table was set, and on it sat a huge ham, a plate of potatoes, green beans, macaroni, and, of course, a plate stacked with my favorite blue pancakes. What could be better? My mouth started to water just looking at it. The smells wafting through the house only made it worse.

Paul and Sally saw this and laughed.

"I think we should hurry up and get situated before Percy lunges at the ham."

We sat down, and said a quick prayer before loading our plates to the breaking point with food. This beats fats food any day, which is what I usually have to eat, what with all the traveling I do. For awhile, we all ate in a comfortable silence, enjoying each other's company.

Finally, after I had gobbled up three slices of ham, two plates os potatoes and green beans, some macaroni, and three of Sally's heavenly pancakes, I shoved my plate away from me, filled to the bursting point.

Paul and I teased my mom a little, as she had loaded her plates with vegetables.

"Are you going to eat anything, Sally?" Paul asked. She gave him a puzzled look, and I smirked knowingly.

"What do you mean? I'm eating a ton of food!"

Paul narrowed his eyes, pretending to get a good look at her plate. "I don't see any food there. Do you see any, Percy?"

I peered over at her plate. "Nope. All I can see are vegetables, vegetables, broccoli - oh, wait; that is a _vegetable _- and more vegetables. Hardly what I would call _food._"

"My thinking exactly," Paul said, nodding. We both guffawed. For an English teacher, he was actually a pretty cool guy. Mom just rolled her eyes and face palmed.

"You two are hopeless, you know that?"

"So, anyway, Percy, how are you doing?" Paul asked. "How are things at the studio? Are you excited about the tour?"

"I'm doing pretty good. Things at the studio have been nice, except that we've all been a little stressed. You know, what with this huge tour coming up and making sure everything is prepared. And _of course _I'm excited! This is literally the chance of a lifetime. But really, we're just going to do the same thing I did at Times Square everywhere else we go."

"True, but I'm sure it will be really cool to go to all these new places. You'll get to meet the so many new people," Sally pointed out. "So what else have you been doing. You mentioned that everyone's been stressed. How has Grover been."

I rolled my eyes. "Grover's been Grover - grumpy, bossy, pushy, and a lot of fun to make fun of." Mom smacked me gently on the arm. "But we had the last of our many meetings right before the concert in Times Square. Oh, and Connie, my dressing manager, wanted me to wear the ugliest thing. Ugh. I mean, I thought I have already established that I _hate _the color yellow. I mean, I would rather not look like a banana on the tour."

My mom laughed. "Oh, come on. Yellow isn't _that _bad of a color! It wouldn't kill you to wear something bright once in a while."

"Yes, it would."

Paul chuckled. "What was this I heard about a certain someone playing hangman during a certain very important meeting?"

My mom looked at me, narrowing her eyes. "You what?!" Both Paul and I jumped back.

"Jeez, Mom, calm down! It wasn't that bad. The meeting just got _so _boring. I didn't even miss anything that important."

"You missed the whole thing," Paul pointed out. My mom looked deadly.

"Not helping," I muttered. "Anyway, how did you find out about that?"

"Your friend, Nico, tweeted it on Twitter. It said something like '_Haha, just got out of our last meeting! Percy and I played hangman the whole time!_'"

I made a mental note to beat Nico up in the morning.

"So did you guys hear about that girl who is missing?" Paul asked, seeming to make an attempt to change the subject. It worked.

"The one out in California?" I inquired. He nodded.

"Yeah, she's been all over the news. Someone must love her a lot to put so much effort into finding her. So what about her?" I asked.

"A friend of mine, who is a fellow teacher, taught her at her school in California. Apparently the girl, Annabeth, had a lot going for her. I've heard she's a real smart kid - smartest in her school. Colleges were lining up to have her attend there. I think both Harvard and Yale wanted her. That's one of the reasons why most people think she was kidnapped. Why run away when you have so much going for you?"

We were all silent as we thought about that. I could see what he was saying. It would be almost foolish to run away when you have two of the biggest colleges in the country begging for dibs on you. But I also felt like saying that wasn't completely fair. I mean, no one knows what is going on inside of the girl, so it's very well possible that she did run away.

Mom voiced the same opinions as me.

"But I just hope the poor girl is alright," Sally fretted. That's my mom for you; she always cares about everybody, whether she knows them or not. She's got such a huge heart.

We all talked and I caught up with them as well. Paul was doing well with his teachings at Goode, and Sally was having a blast taking classes at her writing seminar where, incidentally, was where she met Paul.

Soon, it was getting late, and the sky outside darkened into a thick black blanket, stretching around my home. I didn't really want to leave. I felt so content and at peace - much more relaxed compared to the last few weeks.

Finally, when it was almost midnight, my mom got up.

"Percy, I really think you should get going now. You have a busy day tomorrow with all the traveling." I feigned a hurt looked.

"Mom, you don't want me here? You're kicking me out?" I pouted. She laughed.

"Yup. You got it. Now leave!"

I put a hand over my heart, gasping. "You wound me!"

"Oh, come on, Perce! Be a man! Unlike Paul, here," she said, poking Paul playfully. He, too, pouted.

"Hey! I am so a man," he protested.

"Think what you like," Sally said indifferently.

"Well, I'm certainly not a girl!"

"Think what you like," Sally repeated, a slight smiling pulling at the corners of her mouth. Paul leaned down to kiss her.

"Now do you think I'm a girl?" he teased, kissing her again.

"AH! Ugh! Okay, okay, I get the point! I'm leaving!" I exclaimed. Watching my mom make out with my English teacher was _not _something I wanted to experience so late at night. Or ever. Just - gross.

Sally and Paul chuckled. "Are you sure, because we can keep - "

"I'm _positive! _Thank you for being oh so considerate, but I think I'll just head on out now," I assured them.

Mom smiled, and came forward to give me a good-bye hug. I felt like a little kid again, wrapped in my mother's warm embrace. I leaned into it, and she ruffled my hair.

"Bye, Percy, I love you! You take care, and don't do anything naughty," she warned. I flushed.

"Mom!"

"What? I'm obligated to say it."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." I turned to give Paul another one of those awkward man hugs. "Bye, Paul. You take good care of my mom, okay?"

"You have my word," he said, dead serious. Sally rolled her eyes in the background. But I also noticed the tears gathering in her eyes. I gave her another quick hug.

"Don't worry, Mom. I'll see you in a few month's time. And we can always Skype and you can text or call me anytime. If you ever need me to come home, I'll be at your doorstep. I promise."

She burst into tears. I sent Paul a desperate _help me! _look. He ran forward and wrapped his arms around her and gestured for me to go. I reluctantly turned and go into my truck. Before I left, I rolled down the window, waved and yelled, "Bye, Mom! I love you!"

She looked up and gave a watery smile as she and Paul waved. As I drove away, I sent one last longing look at my home, with my mom and her boyfriend and everything ordinary. And then I looked ahead, not glancing back again.

And in doing so - in driving away from home - I was re-entering my life of fame.

In some ways, I think I had too much.

In others, I think I had nothing at all.

* * *

**So then last two lines may not completely make sense, but they will later in the story. Was this chapter okay? I know that it sort of dragged, and nothing really happened, but I thought you guys should get a better viewpoint of Percy's home life, and what he really thinks about fame. Again, I am SO SORRY for taking so long! But guess what? My last day of school was yesterday, so now I'll have plenty of time to update! ;D Oh, and Breaking Free has been updated (finally!) Would you guys be so kind as to give me one of those lovely reviews? Even if you're a guest! I'd love to know your opinions of this chapter! Love you guys! **


	7. Arachne Von Tweedledum Fudgy Face the II

**Hiii! Hi hi hi hi hiiiiiiiii! Yeah, guess who's back?! MEEEEEEEEE! *clears throat* Uh, sorry about that. For those of you who don't know, I'm recovering from a minor concussion. Apparently concussions, dry Ramen, and gummy worms don't mix. Hee hee, yeah... So I guess this is where I say that I AM EXTREMELY SORRY for the long wait! I feel horrible! But THANK YOU for the reviews! I am simply astounded by how many I have, but more so the kind words of encouragement that are written in them. Also, this story is not going to be very action-y. The first few chapters of this are based on my sister who ran away from home a couple years ago. Just sayin'.**

**AN EPIC HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO **Bookwormgirl3**! I cannot apologize enough for the super long wait! I feel so bad. This chapter is 100% dedicated to you! **

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**Annabeth**

I tensed, hands frozen on the wheel, after pulling over to the side of the road. There was no sound. You couldn't even hear anyone breathing - if they were. I know I wasn't.

All I could think about was that stupid officer and what would happen when he got to us. They would send me back to my father. What would he say? Surely he'd be angry. I'd probably be in huge trouble, as would... I groaned. Thalia and Luke would also be sent back to wherever they came from. I had gotten them in trouble as well. I felt a horrible sinking sensation, and I just wanted to disappear.

We all watched in dread as the police car came ever closer to us. It was only a few yards away now... a few feet... next to us... and then - wait. In front of us? Driving away from us? That couldn't be right. But still it drove on, until it was just a small dot in the distance.

We all sat in stunned silence. It was unreal. Our _luck _was unreal. And I still hadn't quite understood what just happened. I'm not sure how long we sat there, still holding our breaths, as though we expected for the police to come driving back, jumping out of his car, and yelling, "Psych! You're under arrest!" or something.

But that didn't happen. Finally, I acknowledged my burning lungs by taking in a deep, shuddering breath, followed by a shaky laugh the burst from my lips. Before I knew what was happening, a wave of hysteria crashed over me, and giggle after giggle escaped from my mouth. Thalia and Luke, who were both as pale as I probably was, stared it me like I had lost my ming, which I probably had.

Then, slow smiles started of creep across their face, and soon, they too were laughing along with me. I don't think any of us knew what, exactly, we were laughing at; there was nothing at all funny about our situation. But looking back, now I think that we laughed, not only because of hysteria, but because it was easier than sitting down and crying about the situation. It also created the illusion that everything was okay.

It might have have hours or maybe just a couple of minutes that we sat there, tears pouring down our faces in laughter, until we were finally able to choke the giggles down. Then, without a word, we began driving to our destination - wherever that was exactly.

We got to Nevada, only stopping for gas, and continued on, until we were headed to Salt Lake City, Utah. The bleak silence in the car wrapped around me in such an intensity that I had to turn on the radio. They were, of course, talking about none other than Percy Jackson.

_"...seems like Mr. Jackson is having quite the time out there on stage with Miss Rachel Dare."_

_"My thoughts exactly. There's been some speculation as to whether they are a couple, but they have shown no evidence to prove so. It still remains as just a rumor."_

_"The tour is moving pretty quickly and smoothly. I must say I am surprised. They do their thing, pack up, drive for another day, unpack the next day, and the day after that, they do their show. It's quite impressive how this is turning out to be."_

_"No kidding! Percy Jackson seems to be enjoying himself. Girls are camping out a week before the show in each state, just so they can get a good look at him before he goes in!"_

_"Yup, it's some fan club he has. He takes it all in stride, though."_

_"That is something that has interested most of us. He has so much fame, yet he's one of the few that still seem _normal. _I mean, apparently he went to see his mom and dad before leaving on the tour. Fame hasn't gotten to his head at all."_

_"Let's hope it stays that way. Meanwhile..."_

And then they began to talk about some celebrity couple who has broken up for the fourth time. I was about to change the station when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Annabeth," Thalia said. I turned down the radio. I also noticed that Luke, who had previously fallen asleep, also straightened up to listen attentively.

"Yes?"

"Well, I keep thinking... I mean, obviously I am beyond relieved and thankful that the police didn't stop, but it keeps nagging me. _Why _did he tell us to pull over when he just drove past us instead?"

Luke spoke up. "I've been thinking about that for awhile, and I think the answer is much simpler than we think it is. We're overthinking this." I listened closely, interested in what he had to say. "Authority sucks sometimes. What I'm pretty sure happened was, since your truck is so slow, the policeman got frustrated and used his authority to tell you to pull over so that he could just whiz by. He took advantage of his authority and power. It's as simple as that."

I mulled that around in my head for a second. My first reaction was to scoff at the whole idea. But then, after a minute of thought, I figured that that statement was actually pretty legitimate. It was perfectly possible that he had just gotten impatient. After all, he was human.

"Well, whatever the case, I'm just happy that he didn't stop. If he had, we probably would have been screwed. Oh, and now that we're on the topic of staying hidden form the world, we need to go to Wal-Mart or somewhere that I can get some more hair dye and a new pair of contacts. These won't last long."

Thalia and Luke gave me a surprised look.

"Your hair is dyed, and you're wearing contacts?" Luke asked. I nodded.

"So what's your real hair and eye color, then?" Thalia asked, curiously.

"I've got blonde curls and grey eyes," I told them.

"Nice," Thalia said appreciatively. Luke was staring at me speculatively.

"I'm kinda surprised. Brown hair and hazel eyes suit you well," he mused. I just shrugged. Personally, I wanted my 'princess curls', as my dad used to call them, back. They were part of what made me who I am. Plus, it was almost all I had left of my Mom. But I knew that wasn't an option. My appearance was pretty distinctive, so it wouldn't be hard for a passerby to recognize me.

"Okay, we can stop at Wal-Mart soon. Besides, we should get some bottles of water and maybe a few snacks. We'll run out soon, and the sooner we get this over with, the less chance we have of being caught."

We drove on until we we got to Salt Lake city, and then drove into the nearest Wal-Mart. Thalia decided to go in with Luke since they figured I'd be fresh in people's mind as missing, while the chances of anybody recognizing them were almost nothing. So I anxiously awaited their return while I sat in the truck thinking about our pathetic futures to come.

They came back grinning. Luke held a cream soda, and Thalia had a Cherry Coke and Mellow Yellow in hand, along with bags of food and the dye and contacts. They hadn't even climbed into the truck before they began tearing at a box of granola bars. I felt a twinge in my heart as I realized they probably hadn't been inside a Wal-Mart since they ran away, much less eaten a granola bar.

Thalia passed me the Mellow Yellow, which happened to be one of my favorite sodas. I looked at her in surprise.

"Thanks. It's my favorite." She just shrugged.

"It was your money," she mumbled, though I could tell she was pleased. Luke tossed me the dye and contacts.

"Awesome, thanks. We should find somewhere to stay for the night, and I'll see if I can put it in there." They nodded.

"Do you want something to eat?" Thalia asked me, gesturing to the bag beside her. I shook my head no, even as my stomach grumbled in protest. The truth was that I knew Thalia and Luke needed the food more than I. While I had a lot of money with me (the perks to having a rich daddy), I knew I had to conserve as much as possible, so the less food I ate, the less I would spend on it. Though I had taken out as much money from my account as I could at the time, there was no way I could risk going back to get what portion of it there was left. That would be like raising a big flag signal saying, "HERE I AM! COME AND GET ME!"

We drove around for a little while longer, trying not to stray too far from the interstate, but we really needed to find a place to stay tonight that didn't involve sleeping in the truck.

Finally, I came across a decrepit-looking motel. It looked old enough that they probably wouldn't ask me for an ID or anything. And even if they did, they probably wouldn't realize that I'm on the run. Huh, that sounded dramatic.

"Bingo!" I said. My exclamation jolted Thalia and Luke from their slumber. "Come on, guys. I found a place for us to stay tonight." Immediately, they woke up.

We checked in, and went to our broom clos - er, rooms. There was one bed that I wouldn't have slept in anyway. The sheets were completely flea-bitten, and when Thalia pressed her hand against the pillow, it made a weird crackling noise and was stuffed with God knows what. The toilet wasn't flushed, and when Luke tried to flush it, it wouldn't. I turned around and screamed when I came face to face with a huge spider.

Luke came rushing out of the pathetic excuse for a bathroom.

"What's wrong?!" he asked, alarmed. I stood, petrified, as I pointed to the monster. Thalia peered over my shoulder, trying to see what I was pointing at. I saw her face lighten with a look of glee that I felt like I should be worrying about.

"Oh, you mean that spider?" she asked, clearly trying not to laugh.

"Get that monster away from me!" I managed to gasp.

"Wait, so you're afraid of spiders?" Thalia asked slowly.

"Obviously." She examined it closely.

"I think it's kinda cute. I think I'll name it Arachne Von Tweedledum Fudgy Face the II." Luke laughed at Thalia's antics and my horrified face.

"See?! You totally just proved my point by naming the thing Arachne. Arachne was evil!" I exclaimed.

"You forgot the 'Von Tweedledum Fudgy Face the II,'" Thalia muttered.

When I started to shake - could you really blame me? I was looking straight into the eyes of the little devil - Luke finally stepped in and smashed the dang thing, while Thalia cracked up.

As I layed out a couple of my blankets on the floor to lie on tonight, Thalia, Luke joined in, and even I almost cracked a smile. And for a second, I felt that if this was my life for the next couple of years, I would not complain. Because while I was not particularly happy with where I was, I was content. For the first time, I really felt like I could live like this with my new family.

Little did I know that in just a few days, my life would completely and utterly change.

* * *

**Wow, this whole chapter bored me to death, so if you hate it, I don't blame you. But it had to be done, because in the next chapter, I think things are gonna get a little crazy. And I'm thinking that our favorite couple are going to be seeing quite a bit of each other from the next chapter on... but no promises! And I know that some of you won't think the thing with the police was very realistic, but it happened to my mom. Also, Breaking Free is going on hiatus! I'm sorry guys; I don't want it to, either. But I am going to be spending nearly all my time on *epic drum roll* THIS STORY! And Friends With Deficits. ;) Again, Happy Birthday to **Bookwormgirl3**!**

**P.S. I BEG YOU GUYS TO VOTE ON MY POLL! Please? *insert irresistible puppy dog face* **

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	8. Break Down

**Hey guys! Thanks again for all the kind reviews! They mean the world to me. Fast update, huh? See, I told you that I would be spending a ton of my time on this story, just as I did with Cinderella. I hope you enjoy this chapter! **

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**Annabeth**

Three days later, we found ourselves in Chicago, Illinois. It was busy, to say the least. Granted, it _is _a huge city, but it seemed that there was much more of a hustle than is the norm. It wasn't until a little while later on the radio I figured out why it was so. But I'll get to that later.

Life, for the past couple of days, had been rather uneventful. But I'd say that's more of a blessing than a curse when it came to our situation. Let's just say I'd rather _not _go through another OMG-we're-about-to-get-arrested-let's-just-go-die- in-a-hole episode.

Everyday, we'd wake up at about six o'clock in the morning. After eating a royal breakfast consisting of granola bars (seriously, that Quaker dude gets _kinda_ creepy after the sixth bar), we'd be on the road again, only stopping for gas, and if I was in an especially good HEY-LOOK!-let's-go-jump-over-a-rainbow kind of mood, we'd risk a stop at McDonald's or something.

Much to our surprise, my beloved truck still hadn't given out on us (knock on wood). Sometimes, it would give us a great big scare, not starting up at first, but it would then roughly cough back to life, and we'd all breathe a sigh of relief. But, of course, our luck - if you could actually call our situation _luck_ - didn't last forever. Again, more on that later.

As we drove further into the heart of the city, the roads became absolutely clogged, and it wasn't even close to rush hour. Then again, it was a Saturday, so of course people would be out and about. I just sort of shrugged and kept driving. None of us spoke often.

Thalia, not one to stand the silence, asked if I would turn on the radio and I obliged. Three guesses who they were talking about? It seemed like they were always talking about him.

_"And today is the day that thousands of Chicagoans have been waiting excitedly for! At 6:00 PM this evening, Percy Jackson, his right-hand man and guitarist, Nico di Angelo, and Percy's partner Rachel Elizabeth Dare will be on stage for the anxiously awaited concert. Excitement is in the air, and girls are literally shoving their way through each other to be able to catch a glimpse of Jackson. Mr. Jackson is actually connected to the station right now. Mr. Jackson, what are your feelings right now?"_

_"We're all pretty excited. And, of course, we are beyond grateful! We could never do this without all the support of our fans. It's always a little stressful, and I simply cannot thank the team enough for helping us move this fast and smoothly."_

In the background, you could hear commands and instructions being yelled out. Percy sounded rather breathless, as though he were walking fast.

_"And is there anything you'd like to say to anyone out there at this moment?"_

_"Well, infinite thank-you's go out to anybody and everybody out there who encouraged me on this journey, put up with me, and listened to my music. These songs are my joy, and I want nothing more to share my joy with you guys, and I hope I've succeeded. Mom, I know you're listening, so I want to give you my love and insufficient thanks to you and Paul! You know I love you more than anything, and I know without a doubt that I wouldn't be here without you!"_

_"So you've heard it here, first, folks! We'll let ya go, now, Mr. Jackson! Have fun and good luck!"_

_"You got it!"_

Well, that certainly explained it. being on the road - and run - for so long made it easy to forget what was happening in the real world. The only way we ever knew what was going on was through our poor radio, which would surely give out any day now.

I saw Thalia's eyes widen in the mirror, and I gave a half-smile. I knew she liked Percy Jackson just as much as I did. A part of me, and probably as well as her, yearned to go to the concert, take a peek at our idol, and, for once, be like every other teenager, having a trivial crush on a famous guy we could never have.

But we both knew that we could never be like that. We made a choice, and those were the repercussions. The price of freedom was a life of restraint, in that we could never be like everyone else and go about freely.

I shook my head a little at her slightly pleading eyes. For a second, I flashed to an image of me as a little kid, asking my dad with pleading eyes if we could stop to get an ice cream cone. And it suddenly occurred to me that though Thalia and Luke were my age, socially, they were younger than I. With further thought, I realized that I was almost the parent of the group, and Luke was the protective older brother.

Luke saw the exchange.

"You want to go, don't you?" Thalia and I both nodded slightly, but I quickly stepped in before Luke could get any of our hopes up.

"Of course we want to go, but we obviously can't. I mean, we're on the run. Do you have any idea how many police are going to be around? Going is not an option."

Thalia nodded, probably guessing what I was going to say. But that didn't stop her from looking a bit disappointed.

"I know, Annabeth. You didn't let me finish. I was going to say that they would probably be showing it on TVs in the area, and that maybe we could go to Pizza Hut and watch it or watch it through a store window."

I was shaking my head before he could even finish.

"I'm sorry, but we can't do anything to jeopardize us. We have gone too far to get caught now. I think we should just stop for today and get a hotel for the night. it's not like we're going to get anywhere with half the roads cut off and this much chaos. besides, I'd rather not give people a chance to look to closely at my license plate."

They both nodded mutely, and I felt my heart squeeze tightly with guilt. I couldn't give them what they wanted. I wondered how horrible it must be to be so close yet so far away. And then I realized it wasn't just them - it was me as well. But somehow, I didn't feel bad for myself.

In a tense silence, we drove to the nearest crappy hotel.

For dinner, we had a packet of dry Ramen Noodles. And then I read a book while Thalia and Luke flipped through the decrepit TV. After a couple minutes of channel surfing -

"Annabeth!" Thalia exclaimed.

"What?" I asked, trying not to let my irritation show. Why couldn't I so much as read a book?

"Look!" she said, pointing towards the TV. When I looked up, I wasn't surprised to see Percy Jackson on-screen. He was probably on every TV in the city right now. The whole screen was fuzzy to the point of not being able to see, but that didn't deter Thalia at all.

Curious as I was, I just kept reading my book, not willing to let myself fall into the trap of thinking I'm like everybody else.

The concert didn't end until about 10:30 at night, during which bother Thalia and Luke fell asleep. I quietly turned the TV off, and crept over to where Luke had fallen into a deep slumber on the couch. I found a blanket and wrapped it around him, staring at his peaceful face, so intense and emotionaless during the day. I sighed. it was nice to see him look more... I don't know, _human._

As I "tucked in" Thalia, I once again felt like the mother of our little family. I vaguely wondered what would happen to us when I - and hopefully them as well - got a job. Would we stay with each other for the rest of our lives? Would Thalia and/or Luke fall in love and ditch us? I wouldn't be able to blame them. This is the life they've lived in for years, and now they were closer to a normal life than they've been since then.

I sighed, suddenly feeling overwhelmed as I crawled beneath the covers.

_If only things could be easier, _was my last thought, before I fell into a fitful sleep.

* * *

The next morning was like any other: we woke up, packed our few belongings, ate a granola bar (my 8th bar since the start of the trip), and got on the road again.

I was silent as I navigated through the traffic of the huge city. I just wanted to get to the highway, where I could let my mind wander a bit.

"Annabeth?" Thalia called quietly.

"Yes?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yes," I lied simply.

"I don't believe you."

"Oh?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I'm fine," I insisted.

"The dark circles around your eyes beg to differ," Luke said, speaking up. I shot him a sharp glare.

"Not helping," I said through clenched teeth.

"Are you mad at us?" Thalia asked in a small voice.

"Of _course _not," I said immediately. It was the truth. I wasn't mad at them at all. Actually, I wasn't quite sure what I was mad at. Maybe I wasn't mad at anything at all. Last night was one of the worst nights. I could hardly sleep, and whenever I managed to close my eyes, flashes of my mother and I - happier times - would dance tauntingly across my eyelids. or I would have nightmares of us getting caught, and I would then proceed to waking up in a cold sleep. So I guess I was just fatigued.

"If you need any help with anything..." Thalia started.

"No, it's fine. I'm just a little tired. I think we should be in New York in a couple of days. Maybe two?" I told them. Thalia's eyes lit up.

"Won't that be great?! Maybe we can all get a job and an apartment together. And then when we get enough money Annie - "

"Don't call me Annie," I chastised.

" - can get a new car." I laughed at her enthusiasm. Oh, if only life could be that easy. We opted for silence for today's trip, none of us in the mood to hear about the famed - and incredibly lucky - Percy Jackson. So we drove for about two hours in complete silence, both Luke and Thalia dozing off.

Everything was pretty peaceful, and I was finally starting to relax, and we officially entered The Middle of Nowhere.

Then life started to suck. Well, more than the usual.

My beloved baby - aka, my truck - started to cough and spit hysterically. Then came a sort of thumping noise that jolted Luke and Thalia awake.

"What's going on?" Thalia cried.

"Pull the car over!" Luke commanded.

"What does it look like I'm doing?!" I yelled, doing just that. We barely made it to the edge of the road, before my baby gave one last shudder and refused to move anymore. For a second, I just sat in my seat, eyes wide, in shock. _This can't be happening to me_, was the only thought running through my head.

Luke leapt out of the car and lifted the hood of the truck, tinkering around with various pieces.

"Okay, try starting the car again," he called. I tried. I failed. And so the cycle repeated. After the fifth try, Luke cursed and kicked the truck a couple times. I opened my mouth to scold him, but thought better of it.

Then, it sort of occurred to me that we were screwed. We had no way of getting back to the city and no one to contact. I mean, I had my phone, but I'd watched _NCIS _enough to know that they could track my cell phone if I turned it back on.

Let's just say, I was sort of in a daze.

Thalia got out and stood with me, and Luke joined us.

"What are we gonna do?" Luke asked, growling in frustration.

"Well, we all knew this was coming. I mean, we couldn't exactly expect us to last it the whole way," Thalia commented.

"Yeah, well, I'd hoped it would last us to New York, or at least break down when we're actually near or in civilization," I said, running my hand through my brown locks.

"Talking about what we _wanted _to happen isn't getting us anywhere. We need to figure out what to do right _now_," Luke snapped.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious," Thalia snarled back.

"Don't call me - "

"GUYS, SHUT UP!" I screeched. I could feel a massive migraine coming on. Both of them shut up and stared at me, jaws tightened and eyes tense.

"For now, we're just going to have to use the old-fashioned way. Stay here and wait for somebody who's willing to help us comes by," I told them. They only nodded.

So we stood there for about ten minutes.

Then a half an hour.

An hour.

An hour and a half.

"DAMN IT, WHY CAN'T SOMEBODY COME BY ALREADY?!" Thalia screamed in a burst of frustration.

I looked up startled. I'd sort of been staring at nothing, my eyes glazing over. I kind of had to agree with Thalia. Even I could tell the world was against us. I mean, an hour and a half on a major highway and _no one _who can help us comes by? The only things that had passed us were a fat guy on a motorcycle, a bus, and a cat that took to hissing at Luke, and a large owl sitting on a huge tree across the street, staring at us unblinkingly.

I actually found the owl quite pretty, rather than creepy. Sitting on the ground, I put my head in my hands. Why, oh, why did this have to happen today and now?

"You know, if we can't get anyone to stop, we may just have to call my dad on my cell," I spoke up. Thalia's eyes widened.

"But then we'd all be caught! And I can't go back, Annabeth, I _can't._"

"I'm not saying that we'll have to. I'm just saying that it's a possibility. I'd rather us get caught than dead," I said calmly, though I, myself, despised the thought of going back to my dad.

"I don't care. I'm not going - "

"THALIA, ANNABETH!" Luke yelled, sounding excited, pointing to something that I couldn't yet see. I bounded over to him, and looked to where he was pointing.

I heard it before I saw it.

It was the quiet hum of a car engine, with very loud music playing. The cars and trucks all seemed to be pulling trailers of some kind. It was a big line of cars, all seeming to be part of the same group.

We didn't even hesitate before yelling and waving like maniacs.

These people were probably our last hope.

* * *

**Percy**

We had been driving for a couple of hours, music blasting and Nico playing on his guitar. It was a pretty uneventful drive, and we surprisingly didn't have any stalkers following all the vans and trailers.

We were driving through a forest in the middle of nowhere, and Grover was busy mumbling about the trees not looking green or healthy enough or whatever. I just rolled my eyes and looked out the window.

I spotted a bit of movement up ahead, and I squinted my eyes to get a better look.

"What is that?" I asked. Both Nico and Grover looked as well. As we got closer, I could see that it wasn't an 'it' but a 'who'.

There were three people: A blonde guy who was waving at us frantically, a teenage girl with punk-styled black hair who was also waving, and another girl with dark brown hair who was waving with a pleading look on her face. With further observation, I could see a truck pulled hastily to the side of the road.

"Whoa, guys. I those their truck broke down or something," I said.

"I'm not surprised, by the looks of that piece of junk," Nico responded.

"Should we pull over and see if they need help?" Grover asked worriedly.

"Well, they obviously do need help. Come one, let's pull over, and I'll tell everyone else behind us what's going on."

I pulled out the walkie talkie that we used to tell each other when we were stopping for gas or to eat or restroom breaks and whatnot.

"Hey, guys! We're stopping to see if these people want our help," I told them, not even bothering with all the 'over' crap.

"Are you sure it's not a trap or something?" Connie's voice said.

"If it was, they wouldn't get very far with all of us," I pointed out.

"Very well, then."

And then we pulled over next to them.

* * *

**Well, I certainly despised that chapter! It wasn't very, um, flowly and it was rushed, but guess what? YOLO! Wow, I have a really low tolerance for caffeine, don't I? *sighs* I feel like my writing is just going downhill. But I'm on vacation, so please try to give me a little credit. I'll try to have the next - and hopefully WAY better - chapter out soon! Reviews are beyond appreciated! Especially by guests!**

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	9. Questions For Answers

**HEY GUYS! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 217 REVIEWS! :) :) You guys ROCK! Oh and thank you to those who voted me Author of the Year, or voted for one of my stories in the Awards thingy that I mentioned in the last chapter! Words simply cannot say how much that means to me! So, to be honest, I just love writing this story! It's a lot of fun. Also, for those of you who asked, my sister no longer lives with us, and I haven't talked to her in years. But what is the past, is the past, and I try not to dwell on what cannot be changed. O.o That just sounded like a magazine or one of my mother's Encouragements, or whatever the heck you call them. **

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* * *

**Annabeth**

I watched in pure relief as the lead car pulled up to us, but I didn't show my relief just yet. Instead, I kept a protective mask on my face as I stepped forward to meet our saviors. Three guys stepped out of the car, which immediately put myself on alert.

One guy had black hair and an extremely pale face, not to mention a very sullen expression on his face - but I think that was just his natural demeanor. The person next to him was a dorky "Save the Whales and Hug the Trees!" kind of guy. And the third person seemed to be the unspoken leader of the bunch. He had black windswept-looking hair and a lazy sort of "I got this all under control" stance. Our eyes met for a second, and I nearly gasped at the sea green color. They seemed to hold a slight mischievous twinkle.

But they all had one thing in common: I recognized them. The only problem was that, for some reason, I couldn't place their faces with names. It was like my brain was just completely fried, incapable of logic and reason and memory. The only thing I seemed to be able to process was what was happening right in front of me.

As I came forward, the more dominant of the three walked forward until he was about five feet away from me, as though trying not to startle me.

"Hello," I said carefully, eyeing him. The awesome thing about being me: I was good at analyzing people. Most humans were like an open book to me. I could tell easily if someone was lying to me, if they were scared, tense, upset, angry, etc. My mother had always been good at reading people, and I guess she passed the trait to me.

What I saw in this person - this agonizingly familiar guy - puzzled me. When I examined him, I could sense a faint air of confidence, but no arrogance, as I usually found in people, especially men. He smiled cautiously, but he wasn't scared in the least. If anything, he looked like he was afraid of startling _me. _When his eyes ran over the three of us, they seemed to flash with worry. He seemed wealthy, yet not above stopping to help us. This guy had an interesting combination of traits that I so rarely saw in people anymore.

Behind the trio, I could see the huge line of cars stopping, with other people climbing out of them. Things were about to get interesting.

* * *

**Percy**

Nico, Grover and I got out of the car slowly, and I studied the group more carefully.

Upon closer observation, I noticed dark circles around the eyes of all three of them, as though they hadn't had any sleep in ages. Their clothes were torn and worn in different places, dirt was smeared on their face, and each of them were really skinny, as if all they had been living off the past few weeks were granola bars or something. I wondered what there story was.

The girl with brown hair stepped forward to greet us, though I also noticed that her stance seemed pretty protective of the two.

"Hello," she said cautiously. I smiled a little, hoping to ease her tension.

I didn't have to know her well, to see that she was intelligent. Her sharp eyes took in the three of us; she was studying me with a careful eye, seemingly analyzing my every move. I could practically see the mental list of observations mapped out in her head for later use, if needed.

As she studied us, I reciprocated the action. When I looked closely at the girl in front of me, something felt wrong. Not anything bad - it's just something about her just didn't seem to fit. Her hazel eyes were piercing, if not a little unnerving to look at. But something about those eyes didn't quite fit her, almost as though they weren't her natural eye color.

Not only did some qualities about her seem unnatural, but something about her seemed... familiar? I racked my brain, trying to figure out where I could know her from. Companions from school, swim team, any other sports teams I was on, family friends, celebrities and their kids - even from that missing girl. My mind lingered on that last image for a second, but I shook my head, remembering that the missing girl was blond with grey eyes.

I heard doors slamming behind me, and I turned around to see the crew getting out of their vehicles. Connie was the first to get to us, along with her assistant, Piper McLean. Piper didn't go to many of the meetings - most people didn't. Piper was actually a student-in-training and helped Connie out, whenever it was needed, especially on tours.

Behind them came one of the tech guys, Eric, along with his helper, Leo Valdez, who had an uncanny ability to do build anything and everything. Leo had gone to my school along with me, Nico, Grover, and I lot of other people on our team. It had sort of been a dream of ours, growing up, to do something big, and then when I became more popular, we found the perfect opportunity to bust ourselves out of school.

That didn't mean I didn't miss school a bit.

"Hey, what's happening, guys?" Piper asked cheerfully. One thing you should know about Piper: she's almost always cheerful.

We all looked at the brown-haired girl expectantly. She seemed to snap out of her psychoanalysis. "Oh, um... well, my truck is pretty old, and I guess it just finally broke down. We've been waiting for a long time for someone to stop and help us, because we have no idea what to do," she said. Though she covered it well, I could hear a slight note of desperation hanging in her voice.

"Well, never fear - Big Man Leo is here!" Leo exclaimed enthusiastically. I could have face-palmed. He was met with skeptical looks from the trio and an awkward silence.

"Fine then. Don't say anything. You guys just don't recognize miracles when you see one. Especially this hot body!" Leo muttered to himself. I blinked.

"Leo, I hope you realized that that made no sense whatsoever. Plus, it was just straight out _weird_," I told him.

"No, it wasn't! You're just jealous, beca - "

"Leo, just do us all a favor and shut up, so you can help these lovely people with their truck," Piper said, exasperated. The three kids were staring at us with odd expressions on their face. I could only imagine what they were thinking of us.

"Okay, okay, jeez! No need to get snippy, Beauty Queen."

"I am not _snippy_," Piper snapped. Nico snorted next to me, and even I had to suppress a smile at that.

Leo walked over to the truck and started to do who knows what with it. Eric soon joined him, though he was better with computers and cameras than cars and trucks.

As they worked, the punk girl sagged against the truck, and put her head in her hands. The other two shot her a worried looks, but she ignored them.

"So," I said to the brown-haired girl, who seemed to be the leader of the group. She raised her eyebrow at me.

"So...?" she responded.

"Where are you headed, out here in the middle of nowhere?" I asked her conversationally. She hesitated, then shrugged.

"New York," she muttered, so quiet that I had to strain to hear.

"Cool. I live there," I told her. I shook my head. Why would she care if I lived in New York? Then something clicked in my head. She hadn't once acted like she knew I was Percy Jackson. I mean, obviously, not everyone knew who I was, but it was just a surprise to finally meet a girl who didn't sqeal or jump, or act like I was some special person from another planet or something. It was strangely... nice.

"Yeah," the girl said.

"Yeah..."

And that was basically it for our conversation. We fell into another silence, though this one was actually comfortable. I know this probably sounds really stupid, but it almost felt as though we were still talking, having our conversation through silence.

I told Connie to tell the others to keep on driving and that we would catch up soon, so soon it was just the few of us.

The girl walked over to the punk and placed a hand on her shoulders.

"Are you okay?" she asked, looking worriedly at her.

"Yes," the punk replied. "I guess I'm just tired. It's been a long day."

"I know. But if these people can get the truck up and running again, we'll be in New York within two days' time. Things will get so much easier. But right now, I think you should lay down in the truck and try to get some sleep."

"But they're working on it," the punk protested.

"You can sleep in the truck bed. No one's going to be messing with that," the brunette reasoned. The other girl mumbled in response and got up as the brunette walked back over to me with a soft smile of affection (for the other girl, not me) on her face.

It suddenly struck me how young she was. She was only around my age, but something in her eyes had made her seem so much older. She acted like the mother of her little group, despite how close they all were in age.

"I cannot thank you enough for stopping," she told me when she reached me. I shrugged and smiled kindly.

"It was no problem," I told her.

"Don't say that. We've been out here for hours. No one bothered to even stop and asked us what was wrong. You've helped us in more ways than you know," she said softly, her eyes getting a faraway look. I looked closely at her. As she stared off into space, I could see something change in her eyes. Her carefully guarded eyes slipped, and in them I could see fatigue and pain.

Something in my heart tugged, and for a second, I wanted to reach out and tell her that no matter what was happening, everything would be okay. But then, the rational side of me kicked in, and I realized that I had never seen this person in my life, and I definitely didn't know her story. Therefore, I had no right to tell her everything would be okay, because I wouldn't know. Plus, that would make me sound like my mom.

"Like what you see?" a playful voice said, knocking me out of my thoughts. My head snapped up, and I realized with chagrin that I had been absent-mindedly staring at the girl. She smirked.

"And if I do?" I shot back.

"Why do people do that?" she asked, looking suddenly irritated.

"Why do people do what?" I asked.

"Answer a question with a question! You just did it twice! It's so damn irritating to me," she responded. I grinned. This girl had interesting pet peeves.

"How so?" I inquired.

"I don't know. It's just not right to me. Like they're trying to avoid the question but don't have the guts to admit it." I laughed at her unreasonable frustration. Something about this girl intrigued me.

I saw her over at the truck, her expression darkening when she saw the punk girl not sleeping. Instead the girl was talking animatedly to Nico about God knows what. I studied the pair for a second.

Nico never really got along with people much; he'd never had a girlfriend, either. In fact, I don't think I'd ever even _seen _him talk to a girl, except my mom, Piper, and any other women on the crew. It wasn't that he was sexist or anything. He was just Nico. But looking at him now, he seemed almost comfortable talking to the girl. It was a nice change.

"What's wrong?" I asked the brunette, because she was still scowling.

"Honestly? Everything is wrong. But right now, I am worried about my friend, Thalia, who is currently chatting it up with your friend. She needs to sleep. She hasn't gotten any in a while."

I looked back to the girl standing in front of me. She had dark circles around her sagging eyes, and I recalled the flash of fatigue I had seen earlier. I frowned.

"What about you?" I asked her.

"What about me?" she asked, confused.

"Oh, come on. You look like you haven't slept in _days. _If I were to be honest, I'd say you look like you're about to drop dead any second now. Plus, you just answered my question with a question."

She rolled her eyes. "Thanks, 'cause every girl just _loves _to be told she looks like a dead person. Oh, and that doesn't count, because I answered your question with a different kind of question."

"I didn't say you looked like a dead person! And that makes _no sense_. So you're saying that it's okay to answer a question with a certain type of question, but it's not okay to answer a question with a different certain type of question."

"Exactly!"

"Jeez, girls are complicated," I muttered to myself.

"I heard that."

"Big ears," I muttered.

"I heard that, too!" She sounded amused. "What the heck is your friend doing?" she added, pointing to the trees. I followed her line of sight to see Grover examining the leaves of a tree, and gently picking at the bark with a stick. I snorted.

"Oh, that's Grover. He's a weird 'Save the Whales and Hug the Trees' dork," I explained. She smirked, as though she were enjoying some sort of inside joke.

"I heard that!" Grover yelled.

"Not that there's anything wrong with those kinds of people. We're all freaks. They're just a different kind of freak."

"Hey!" Grover whined.

"Hi!" I called back, waving cheerily at him. He scowled.

"Shut up, duck face!"

"Right back at ya, glass mole!" I called back. I turned back to the girl, who looked amused at the names we called each other. I shrugged.

"We have a strict no-cussing rule." She laughed. The sound mesmerized me. The noise made it sound as if a thousand pounds of weight had been lifted off her shoulders. It made her actually sound her age, instead of the girl with a hundred years' worth of pain trapped inside her. I wondered when the last time she'd laughed was. I groaned inwardly. I sounded pathetic, even to myself.

Suddenly, the loud roar of an engine cut off all thoughts. Like puppets on a string, we both looked over to her truck. Leo was in the driver seat, testing out the truck, which apparently was up and running again.

"IT'S ALIVE!" Leo exclaimed triumphantly, hopping out of the car. The trio's faces all lit up with relief and happiness.

"Oh my gosh, Leo! I cannot thank you enough for this! How much do you charge?" the brunette asked, already taking out her wallet. Leo laughed, placing a hand blocking hand over hers.

"Free. I was more than happy to do it. Plus, I have _more _than enough money to last me a lifetime," he assured her. She shook her head.

"I can't let you do that," she insisted, still trying to hand him a wad of money.

"Too bad, 'cause you're gonna have to," he said, pushing her hand away. And with that, he turned on the spot and ran to his car, revving the engine. The girl scowled, and started to run towards the car, probably to shove the bills through the window or something, but Leo started to drive. I laughed and turned to Piper, who had been talking to Luke, Connie, and Eric.

"I'm taking that as our cue to leave." They nodded and said their good-byes and you're welcomes to Thalia and the other kid, Luke, I think his name was.

We all climbed in our cars, and the trio waved and yelled their thanks repeatedly at us, the brunette standing near our window. Then something occurred to me:

"Wait! I never caught your name!"

She hesitated for the briefest second, something flashing in her eyes.

"Anna. You can call me Anna," she said finally. I grinned at her.

"It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Anna!" I called as Grover began to drive forward.

"And you, Mr...?"

I realized I had never told her my name. She was getting farther behind us now, so I opened the window and yelled back.

"Percy! You can call me Percy!" I called.

I never heard her reply.

* * *

**Well, basically I hated the whole end of the chapter, but what can you do? Besides, I'd be worried if I did like my writing. :/ Anywho, the next chapter should take a major time skip, so prepare yourself for that!**

**The only excuse I have for not updating yesterday like I wanted to, was that I bought the first three Mortal Instruments books. I bought them yesterday, and finished the first one yesterday, and I'm halfway through the second one today! I LOVE IT! Which is really saying something because I HATE books with vampires and werewolves, warlocks, demons, etc. But, thankfully, it is way better written than Twilight (sorry, Twilight lovers!). Bottom line: READ IT!**

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	10. You Have Reached Your Destination

**Annabeth**

Two days later we arrived in New York. It had been an exhausting drive - physically and emotionally - but we made it.

As I pulled into a Hampton Inn, my whole body seemed to cave in on itself, and I slumped into the seat, tears pricking my eyes.

"We're here," I managed to croak out. "We're finally here." Thalia and Luke both awoke from their slumber, and with huge eyes, took in there surroundings. Moisture gathered in Thalia's eyes as she leaned on Luke for support. The journey had been as draining to them as it had to me.

As Luke wrapped his arms supporting around Thalia, I couldn't help but wish I had someone there to hold me up. And then, for just a moment, a splitting image of sea green eyes and a goofy smile flashed across my eyelids before I pushed it away. I couldn't think about him right now.

We all climbed out of my poor truck, and I could practically hear the automobile give a groan of relief. Even though it was kind of silly, I reached out and patted the truck on its hood affectionately. It had done the world for me, whether it was inanimate or not.

Without saying a word, we grabbed our few things, wrapped our arms around each other's shoulders, and stepped inside.

The interior of the building was warm, bright, and super welcoming. If those cushiony couches in the lobby were anything to go by, I definitely couldn't wait to sink my body into a real bed and lay my head on a fluffy pillow.

The receptionist looked up at us and smiled warmly. He had a kind, wrinkled face, and it was hard to tell exactly how old he was. His eyes looked like they held a thousand years' worth of wisdom. I watched as he took in the sight of us, his face quickly changing from welcoming to concerned.

"What can I help you kids with tonight?" he asked kindly. I stepped forward.

"We need a room with two queen beds, please," I quickly said. He typed something into his computer.

"Room 529 is open on the fifth floor. How long are you staying here?"

I threw a hesitant look at Luke and Thalia. "Um, lets say one week?" Both of them gave a slight nod of approval. "But that could change," I added quickly as an afterthought. He nodded.

"And what should I put down as your name?"

I froze. We'd been going to cheap hotels; we'd never been asked for our name or IDs or anything. I looked to Thalia and Luke, and both looked panic, clearly trying to think of how I respond. I decided to test the murky waters...

"I'm Anna Chandler; I'll be paying for everything," I said calmly, though I was freaking out inside. The man seemed to sense that, because his eyes bore into mine for a second, before nodding.

"Alrighty. I'll need I see an ID."

My heart stopped.

There was no way this could work. I need had time to have a fake ID made, and I made a mental note to get one as soon as possible. But first, I had to get out of this situation.

I turned my face into a blank slate, so the man wouldn't suspect anything, and I started to dig through my bag, as of taking out my wallet. I then convincingly dropped my bag, and its contents came tumbling out. Luke and Thalia quickly dropped to there knees with me.

"Do you have an ID?" I asked out of the corner of my mouth. Both of them shook their head.

"We couldn't risk having our real one, though it probably wouldn't have mattered now. We're forgotten. But we could never risk a fake one, either." Luke mumbled all this very quickly and quietly so we wouldn't be overheard.

"It's time to improvise. I'd worst comes to worst, we'll find a different hotel," I told them while putting the last object into the bag. They both nodded, and we all stood up.

"Sorry about that," I said mildly. "Hold on, let me get it - oh my god, where is it?!"

Thalia and Luke caught on quickly.

"What do you mean?" Thalia asked.

"My ID! It's gone! I never move it anywhere. I always keep it in this one slot." I pretend to dig frantically through my bag, as if looking furiously for it. Tears well in my eyes, but I can't tell whether it's real or fake. Probably both. Either way, it's certainly helpful.

"Hold on, calm down Annab - Anna. I'm sure it's in there. Let me see," Thalia commanded calmly. She was good at this whole acting thing. I handed her the bag, and she picked through it.

"Shoot - I don't see it. Do you think it fell out in the car?"

I shook my head helplessly, doing my best to look hopelessly desperate. The receptionist looked on with a strange expression, but I couldn't quite figure out what is was.

"I'm sorry, sir, but we're going to have to find another hotel. We're really sorry, but thank you so much for all your help," I told him. My body screamed in protest, wanting nothing more than to sleep in a comfy bed and sleep for as long as it could, without having to get up early in the morning to drive. Not to mention having the time to eat breakfast in the morning would be nice.

"Come on, guys," I said glumly, genuinely upset. The act was just to get his suspicions away from us being runaways or something, but we would truly have to find a new place, which totally sucked.

We were just turning to leave, when the guy said, "Wait."

I stopped and tensed. What if he was going to try to investigate further? I turned around and raised an eyebrow. "Yes, sir?"

"You three are terrible liars," he stated. Thalia gripped my arm nervously. No, no, no, this could not happen. Luke held a fierce look in his eyes that clearly said, "Just try and stop us."

I noticed the receptionist studying us, as if he were making a split decision but questioning himself.

"Calm down, I'm not about to do anything bad," the guy reassured us. Not that it was very reassuring; I stayed tense.

He sighed. "Why don't you guys just stay here for tonight. It looks like you've been through hell. We can work out the ID thing and payments later."

We all looked at each other, eye wide. That was definitely not what we were expecting. Something wasn't right. It couldn't be. Good things don't just happen like that. Maybe he was going to keep us here so that he could call the police overnight?

I was skeptical, but I looked at Thalia's face, and my heart melted. Her eyes were alight with a slightly naive hope, and it would kill me to deny her the luxury of staying here after the straining past few days. Looking at Luke, I noticed that his face was indifferent, as though he didn't care either way.

I frowned, trying to process all this. I stared at the guy, trying to decide if there was anything suspicious about him. He merely looked up at me with kind eyes. I sighed in defeat.

"Would you really be able to do that?" I asked him.

"Of course," he answered immediately. "I own the place."

I bit my lip. I'll admit, it was super tempting. Looking around the place, I knew I'd be happy staying here. Heck, I'd live here. Anything is better than a two-star hotel or sleeping in the truck or on the streets. This was why, in the end, I heaved a great sigh an reluctantly gave in.

Thalia looked excited, Luke indifferent, and the guy pleased.

"Great. Here's the key to your room, and if you need any help, don't hesitate to call down here; I go by Chiron." I nodded mutely, taking the key card from him.

Then, facing Luke and Thalia, I said, "Come on, guys. Let's go get settled in for the night." We all gathered our bags and headed towards the elevator. As the doors started to close, I caught the guy - Chiron - staring straight at us, and a shiver ran down my spine.

He was still staring at us after the doors closed.

* * *

Later that night, after Thalia discovered the luxury of mini refrigerators, we sat on our beds, the TV on with the news playing. It was time to really catch up with the outside world.

Thalia sighed. "It's been so long since I've seen a TV."

I glanced over at her. Her face had on the most relaxed look I had seen on it. Since the first day I met her, her face always held a tense look, making her appear older than she really was.

Sometimes, it was easy to forget she was only 15, which she had told me earlier that day. It saddened me because at that age, you should just be getting used to high school and stuff. Not to mention, she probably didn't have a high intellect due to dropping out of high school to run away. I hoped beyond hope that I could make things better for her - for all of us.

After ten minutes of hearing about a barking cat, another five minutes of hearing about how some celebrity were some scandalizing outfit, and yet another five minutes of watching a clip of hamster dancing to "Barbie Girl", I figured I was about as caught up with the world as I could get.

I was just about to turn the TV off and call it a night, when a picture flashed up on the screen. I hastily turned the volume up some the picture of Percy Jackson came into focus.

It was strange how only two days ago, we were standing in the road together and teasing each other, me stupidly having no clue who he was. He probably thought I was an idiot. It hadn't dawned on me who he was until he was leaving...

_"Percy!" he called. "You can call me Percy!"_

_It was like a block had suddenly been removed from my mind. Suddenly the goofy grin, his unique twinkling sea green eyes, and his well-built physique, not to mention his whole crew seemed to click together in my mind._

_How often does Percy freaking Jackson stop to help people on the road. Especially while he's on a tight schedule due to his tour. I immediately felt bad._

_"I promise that one day I'll pay you back somehow!" I yelled, hoping that one day, I really could._

_But by then, he was all but a speck in the distance, and now I would never be sure if he heard me_.

Now he was on TV with reporters swarming him.

"Mr. Jackson, why were you two hours behind everyone else?"

"How come you didn't arrive with your crew?"

"Mr. Jackson, there's rumors that you stopped at a strip club on the way here. Care to verify that?"

My heart stopped when I realized he was two hours late because of us. I felt another twinge of guilt. That guilt quickly turned into panic as I realized Percy might tell the world what happened. Even though I was user disguise, I couldn't afford to have any extra attention on me, whether directly or indirectly.

Percy took it all in stride, though, gently pushing the reporters and microphones out of the way. I spotted Nico right behind him, telling the reporters to screw off, which made me smile.

I glanced over at Thalia. I smiled when I saw that her eyes were glued to Nico's form. Percy was right; her and Nico had really hit it off.

"What do you think happened?" Percy asked. "I guess that's for all of you to decide." His face as completely . He was good. Again, reporters started to spew off questions ("What's that supposed to mean, Mr. Jackson?") as Percy and Nico made to enter a building.

He walked inside and was about to close the doors, when another reporter shouted out a cry of complaint.

"That told us nothing! You can't answer a question with a question!"

Percy paused, his face suddenly becoming animated as he flashed a goofy grin straight at the camera.

"I just did! Maybe I did it, because I'm trying to avoid the question, but I don't have the guts to admit it. Make what you can of that."

My jaw dropped. He closed the door, but not before looking straight into the camera and winking.

Call me crazy or paranoid or obsessed, but for some reason, it felt like he was winking at me.

* * *

**Hey guys! *whimpers pathetically* I know, I've practically ditched y'all, but school started 3 weeks ago and I've already had 4 quizzes, 2 tests, and I'm having another test and an essay due tomorrow. Plus, I still don't have a computer! I typed this WHOLE FREAKING thing on my iPod and it took 3 days. But I really felt that you guys deserved an update. Sorry that it was so short.**

**So, The Mortal Instruments movie came out yesterday and I am so totally going to go see it with Chubbypandaz tomorrow after school! I have yet to see The Sea of Monsters, but I'll wait till it comes out in red box. Anywho, random shout outs to TheLostRelic and Blondie B. Happy because you both are amazing! Go check out TheLostRelic's story called "Light on Broken Glass" over on FictionPress. It's literally my favorite work of his.**

**Guess what word cracks me up for no apparent reason? Canoodle! Hahahaha... yeah, I'm strange, but I have a laughing fit every time I read or hear that word. -.-**

**Thank you for 253 reviews and almost 200 follows and stuff. I love you guys so much and I cannot apologize enough for taking so long to update.**

**Reviews are like hugs without all the awkward touching stuff!**

**~HCG13**

**P.S. Happy Belated Birthday, Percy!**

**P.P.S. I created a new gmail for you guys to reach me on since I'm not able to be on FFN 24/7 to check PMs. If you want to reach me or need to talk or anything, you can email me at hope . schulz13 gmail . com (remove spaces) Of course, I'll still reply to PMs!**

**P.P.S.S. Yes, I really did delete "Letting Go" and "Just Around the Corner". Sorry guys! On the upside, I brought back Cinderella which now has 1,701 reviews! AHH! :)**


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